Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Begins Construction on West Campus

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – June 4, 2012 – Construction has begun on the Wake Forest Baptist Health—West Campus in Davie County.

Bulldozers, backhoes and pan graders are clearing the 88-acre site on Hwy 801 at Interstate 40 near the Yadkin River.

Rodgers Builders, Inc. of Charlotte is the general contractor for phase one of the medical center. Rodgers is recognized as one of the top contractors in the nation.

Approximately half of its annual volume of work is healthcare. Rodgers has constructed buildings for more than 40 hospitals in the southeast.

Rodgers will provide opportunities for subcontractors in Davie and adjoining counties to participate in the project. The total cost of phase one is estimated at $79 million.

When construction activity is at its peak, there could be 100-150 construction workers on site. Wake Forest Baptist anticipates that 200 permanent jobs will be created when phase one is open.

“We believe our investment and the planned investment in the commercial development will be a stimulus for future economic growth,” said John McConnell, M.D., CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Approximately half of the land has been set aside for commercial development, including banks, restaurants, hotels and shops.

Clearing and grading of the site is expected to take approximately five months. Then, construction will begin on the medical office building and the outpatient center. The four-story, 60,000 square-foot building, housing physician offices is expected to be complete in the summer of 2013. The 101,000 square-foot outpatient center, a complex structure with specialized equipment, is scheduled for completion in late 2013.

The architectural design is contemporary and progressive with an open and friendly feel, said Karen Huey, vice president of facilities planning. “The use of brick, stone and masonry reflects the architectural style on our campuses while being compatible with the environment of eastern Davie County,” she added.

“Rodgers is excited to be part of the growth of this site from the onset and to build a cornerstone facility that will provide the highest quality healthcare services for the people of Davie and surrounding counties,” said Ryan Wathen, senior vice president of construction operations for Rodgers.

The program manager for the medical office building and outpatient center is Summit Healthcare Group of Winston-Salem. The architect is HKS, Inc. Stimmel Associates of Winston-Salem is the landscape architectural and civil engineering firm. Leach Wallace, the consulting engineering firm, is in Pennsylvania.

Phase two of the project, which includes the development of hospital beds, is scheduled for completion in 2017.

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