THE new year has started with a bang for St John of God Berwick Hospital.
Monday 11 January saw works start on the new hospital at Kangan Drive, Berwick.
The sod was officially turned in a ceremony on 21 January.
The progress of the build will be evident as the year progresses.
During January the site was flattened and prepared for the heavy machinery which will be used to dig into the ground for the basement car park and foundations.
A road is being built in between the stage one building (Specialist Centre) and Chisholm Tafe to allow easy access for deliveries and trucks.
A car park and site sheds are also being constructed for the comfort of construction workers.
Digging has begun and this is an exciting stage for the community because the changes are visible with the start of a very large hole dug into the ground and a flurry of large trucks and machinery onsite.
The new St John of God Berwick Hospital is a much anticipated new facility for the Casey and Cardinia region.
It will offer all of the services currently offered at the Gibb Street hospital as well as new facilities such as 210 beds, an intensive care unit, eight operating theatres, a cardiac and vascular catheter laboratory, a cardiac unit, six birthing suites, a six bed special care nursery and 350 basement car parks.
The current Gibb Street hospital will operate as usual during construction.
For further information on the redevelopment of the St John of God Berwick Hospital, visit www.sjog.org.au/berwickredevelopment or follow St John of God Berwick Hospital on Facebook for the latest news, developments and photos from the site.
