Veterans on-site at Louisville's new VA hospital working to ensure it's completed on time
Doug Hayes is one of 350 people who work every day on the new $930 million Veterans Affairs Medical Center site in eastern Jefferson County.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Doug Hayes is one of 350 people who work every day on the new $930 million Veterans Affairs Medical Center site in eastern Jefferson County.
A construction inspector and a veteran himself, the job is personal for Hayes. He spent 22 years in the U.S. Navy and did two tours in Iraq.
Like so many others working on the site, the hospital's mission and its services are a driving force in getting in done in time. "I use the VA myself," Hayes said. "So I am really looking forward to having this completed and having a brand new facility."
The new medical center, more than a decade in the making, will provide a 104-bed, full-service hospital for the physical and mental health of local veterans. It will include a Women's Health Clinic, utility plant and parking structures. It will be more than 910,000 square feet in addition to parking structures and 42,205-square-foot central utility plant.
"It brings great pride to be on here and to be able to influence what is happening on a building that myself or one of my buddies will get to use one day," said Capt. Vinh Dao with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
On Tuesday, crews worked on the main eight-story building on the 13-acre property. It's no longer a blasting site as the focus now turns to the completion of the first parking garage and adding more spaces. "That is something I know is a challenge at the current hospital, but, hopefully, we resolve that with this project," said Terry Durham with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The project has been 15 years in the making, delayed by wrangling over its location and its funding. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Congressman John Yarmuth helped secure the funding for the new hospital over the course of four presidents. Construction was also delayed by opposition from some nearby residents who fought unsuccessfully in court.
Another challenge has been the post-pandemic worker shortage and supplies. But neither has hit the job hard enough to cause major delays.