Construction of the massive Fort Leonard Wood hospital project near southern Missouri’s Waynesville is progressing. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R), who serves on the Armed Services Committee, tells Missourinet that he supports President Joe Biden’s (D) budget request for the hospital.
This is an artist’s projection of what the new 250,000 square foot Fort Leonard Wood hospital being built near southern Missouri’s Waynesville will look like. Senator Josh Hawley expects the project to be done by October 2023 (photo courtesy of Fort Leonard Wood’s public affairs office)
“The project is on pace, I’m happy to say it’s going to continue to be fully funded. Thankfully, the (Biden) administration’s budget asks for full funding for it, which I will absolutely support. And we’re looking at a scheduled completion date and opening date in October I believe of 2023,” Senator Hawley says.
That’s quicker than the original projected completion date of 2024. Construction on the project for a new army community hospital began last June. The new hospital will replace the aging one.
The new hospital project will also include a 193,000 square foot clinic, five-bay ambulance garage, a helipad, central utility plant and emergency back-up generators.
“We’re talking about a 250,000 square foot facility. It’s going to be great for the community, it’s going to be great for the entire region. And I’m excited about it, and really just want to say thank you to the great men and women who are working on that project,” says Hawley.
Senator Hawley says this is and has been a bipartisan issue on Capitol Hill.
The $295 million design-build contract was awarded to Kansas City-based JE Dunn Construction.
While Fort Leonard Wood’s hospital serves the military and their families, it also serves the surrounding communities in Pulaski and nearby counties. Senator Roy Blunt (R), who’s worked with Senator Hawley to obtain funding for the project, notes the General Fort Leonard Wood Army Hospital has been ranked #1 in outpatient efficiency, by the U.S. Army Medical Command.
Once the new hospital is completed, the plan is for the existing hospital to be demolished.
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