By Chris Miller, Assistant Editor, Facility Market

An $840 million contract to build Louisville’s new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital has been awarded to Walsh-Turner Joint Venture II, according to the Louisville Courier Journal. This hospital will replace the Robley Rex VA Medical Center. Construction is slated to begin this fall and will be finished sometime in 2025. The new hospital includes more than 900,000 square feet of space and 104 beds. Other additions to the property include sidewalks, roads, two parking garages and a 40,000-square-foot utility plant. $95 million in subcontracts will be given to smaller businesses, with much of the money going toward veteran-owned groups. 

The project has been facing criticism from nearby residents regarding the effect it would have on traffic in the local area. The medical center’s director responded to the criticism by saying he had been working with the city to address the anticipated increase in traffic. He mentioned that designs have been created for an improved traffic flow on the streets surrounding the new facility. 

Local officials have been discussing a replacement for the 59-acre Robley Rex center that has been around since 1952. The VA bought the site in 2012 for $12.9 million. It was purchased from a local developer and officially became the home of the new hospital in 2017. U.S Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been a big supporter of the new hospital helping to generate over $410 million in funding. He has done this because he believes Kentucky’s veterans have waited too long for construction on a new and improved facility to begin.