Woman’s Hospital construction could start again in early 2010

Woman’s Hospital might be ready to restart construction on its stalled medical campus by the first quarter of 2010 if cost-cutting options come in on target and bond markets remain steady, president and CEO Teri Fontenot told a group at the LSU Executive Education’s “Breakfast to Business” meeting this morning. Woman’s Hospital asked contractors to resubmit pricing for the project, which was stopped at the beginning of the year because of the tight credit market, after taking out 35,000 square feet of expansion space and considering the much lower price of construction costs. Factoring in the changes, Fontenot says the hospital hopes to cut $45 million from the original $350 million project when the estimates come in at four to six weeks. The hospital is prepared to wait should the costs come in over budget or if financing for the entire project cannot be obtained. “We’re being patient,” Fontenot says. “We’re prepared to sit on this for another year if we have to.” If plans for the new hospital, medical office building and support facility at Airline Highway and Pecue Lane on the site of the former Briarwood Golf Course do move forward, construction will take between 24 and 26 months.—Emma James