Due to planned demolition of several buildings, a way to transfer patients around the hospital has to be implemented. After a lot of discussion and consideration the solution is underway.
“It’s a permanent tunnel for the hospital,” said Terri Lavoie, deputy assistant chief of staff, in charge of the hospital’s Unified Construction Coordination Program. “Although we’re constructing the tunnel for this purpose, we will be able to have that tunnel after construction and plan to maintain it forever. It will be a permanent basement level connection from Bldg. 9 all the way to Bldg. 19.”
The tunnel — running under the hospital — is for transferring patients as needed so their medical care can continue without interruption.
According to Lavoie, it should allow the hospital to maintain full functionality during the planned construction phase.
“In managing this change, we have focused on how it impacts patients and staff,” said Lavoie. “Sometimes projects like this tend to focus more on timelines and don’t pay close enough attention to how it impacts people; so for this project we’re asking ourselves those important questions that help maintain the patient and staff’s voice throughout the construction.”
It will be used during the demolition of Bldgs. 2, 4, 7 and 8, which will be replaced by one new building, Building C. The connector helps by allowing the patients to be transferred without going outside. Without the tunnel, this would be impossible.
One of the major project challenges was taking into consideration preservation requirements for Bldg. 1, which is considered a historic landmark.
“The pedestrian tunnel will go under the stem of Bldg. 1 so it does go physically under the building and the reason that they did that is if they put the pedestrian tunnel straight across in a linear pattern there would have been communication lines and utility lines that would have been in the way,” said Lavoie. “There is an opened up area already in place due to a previous project so now that the pass is clear the tunnel can be constructed without having to relocate any utilities for Bldg. 1 that would be in the way.”
The staff and patients will both be able to use the connector for more efficient medical treatment, during a phase of the MCAA where without it the operational readiness of WRNMMC could be severely hindered. The connector is set to become a vital part of hospital traffic.
The construction of the tunnel began in December 2017, with a projected completion date of winter 2018.
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.11.2018 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 261834 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tunnel to be Built for Pedestrian Use, by PO1 Julio Martinez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
