By Karen Middleton
karen@athensnews-courier.com
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The citizens of Madison will have access to Huntsville Hospital’s new Madison branch in February 2012.
Huntsville Hospital spokesman Burr Ingram said Tuesday that construction is “right on schedule” for the early 2012 opening. Athens-Limestone Hospital is an affiliate of Huntsville Hospital.
“Site work is complete, the elevator shafts and stair towers are complete and the partial basement is poured,” said Ingram. “It took 578 yards of concrete in 60 trucks to haul in the concrete.”
Ingram said that in the next couple of weeks motorists would be able to see what actually looks like a building going up from the U.S. 72 vantage point.
Officials of Huntsville Hospital broke ground for the facility in December 2009, but actual construction didn’t get under way until late winter because of the weather, Ingram said.
Robins & Morton Construction of Birmingham is the main contractor on a design by the architectural firm of Chapman and Sisson of Huntsville, working in partnership with a large health care firm out of Dallas, Texas, HKS, he said.
“They’ve been underground getting in the utilities for the last several months,” said Ingram.
He said the 60-bed hospital has infrastructure installed to accommodate an expansion, when the need arises.
“It will be a full-service hospital offering primary surgery, medical, maternity and emergency room care,” said Ingram. “The urgent care facility that is currently on-site will be converted and become the E.R. The outpatient imaging that is also currently on-site also will be incorporated into the hospital. It will have a 24-7 E.R.”
