Photo By Michael Maddox | Construction of the new Louisville VA Medical Center is now more than 80 percent...... read more read more
Construction of the new Louisville VA Medical Center is now more than 80 percent complete. Much of that construction included standing up the buildings and facilities across the 34-acre property, but lots of detail work remains to get the project over the finish line.
Ensuring all that detail work is completed successfully takes input and supervision from all stakeholders in the project. The joint occupancy process allows for just that.
Joint occupancy refers to a coordinated phase—or period of transition—from construction of the facility to activation (operational outfitting/use) where multiple agencies share responsibilities and access to specific spaces. In the case of the new medical center, each agency represents various aspects of the project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides project management, quality assurance, and engineering support. The Robley Rex VAMC leadership provides operational oversight and ensures alignment with VA healthcare delivery priorities. The VA Office of Construction & Facilities Management is a federal oversight body guiding compliance, funding, and project governance. Walsh-Turner Joint Venture is the prime contractor responsible for construction execution and site coordination. The Architect/Engineer team offers technical expertise, design intent clarification, and support for field adjustments.
Ben Bruder, project manager for USACE, said the work the joint occupancy team is tackling can be broken down into multiple goals.
Defined Roles & Responsibilities: A joint occupancy Memorandum of Understanding will be drafted outlining who does what, when, and how. These documents help avoid conflicts and ensure smooth coordination during the joint occupancy phase.
Shared Site/Space Access: During joint occupancy, both the contractor and Robley Rex VA Medical Center staff have access to specific spaces and rooms. The contractor has completed the space to the degree that it is ready for VAMC vendors to deliver/install information technology, medical equipment, and canteen equipment while final construction activities and punch-list items are simultaneously being completed.
Collaborative Handover: This is a critical bridge between construction completion and full operational readiness as USACE ensures the facility meets contract requirements, the contractor completes the project on time and on budget, and VA begins commissioning and activation processes.
Risk Mitigation: By overlapping occupancy, VA can identify operational issues early, and USACE and the contractor can address them before final turnover—reducing delays and improving facility readiness.
Representatives from each stakeholder organization meet monthly to ensure transparency, discuss issue resolution, and share progress tracking.
Bruder said while the core intent of joint occupancy is expected to remain consistent, its scope may naturally expand to accommodate emerging operational needs and secondary contracts.
“This evolution could include enhanced support functions like coordination with Robley Rex VAMC security teams to ensure seamless access control and safety protocols or integration with medical equipment vendors, facilitating timely delivery, installation, and maintenance of critical assets.”
Success of the joint occupancy process will rely heavily on communication, said Bruder.
“Establishing open, consistent, and transparent dialogue across all stakeholders to ensure alignment and timely issue resolution is important. It will allow us to foster a unified, dynamic team where agencies work together toward shared goals, leveraging each other's expertise,” he said. “We are also integrating joint occupancy milestones into the master schedule to maintain momentum and avoid delays while synchronizing efforts across disciplines—design, construction, equipment, IT, and operations—to ensure readiness at occupancy.”
The Louisville VA Medical Center is a $940 million project that includes the construction of a new 910,115 square-foot medical center, parking structures, a 42,205 square-foot central utility plant, roadways, sidewalks, and other site improvements.
The new 104-bed, full-service hospital will provide world-class healthcare for more than 45,000 Veterans in Kentucky and Southern Indiana by integrating modern patient-centered care concepts to provide the best possible care for Veterans.
Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2026.
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2025 12:42 |
| Story ID: | 548174 |
| Location: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 71 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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