Lourdes Hospital Adding Parking Garage

Construction is underway on a parking facility at Lourdes Hospital on Binghamton's West Side.

James Silkworth, Lourdes vice president for human resources and support services, says preparation work at the site began late last year. He says major construction activity started about two weeks ago.

Precast concrete segments are being used for the parking structure. Silkworth says the use of precast sections means the facility can be erected much more quickly compared to utilizing poured concrete.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Silkworth said between 20 and 25 pieces a day are being delivered to the site.

The concrete segments are produced in western Massachusetts. Silkworth said they're staged at a lot in Vestal until they're needed at the construction site.

Silkworth said the system has been working quite smoothly over the last several days.

When complete, the garage will add about 100 more parking spaces for the hospital.

The delivery of the precast pieces to the site should be finished by Memorial Day.

Silkworth said finishing touches on the garage will take several weeks to accomplish. He said the facility could be ready for use by late July or early August.

Construction of the parking facility represents the final phase of a $70 million hospital improvement project that began five years ago.