The erection of three tower cranes at the building site marked a major milestone as construction moved into its next phase, Health Minister Simeon Brown said yesterday.
‘‘With three tower cranes now being erected, the project is transitioning from foundation works into the main vertical construction phase.
‘‘This is a significant step forward in the delivery of New Zealand’s largest health infrastructure project.’’
The nearly-$2 billion project is about to mark a couple of milestones: an MRI scanner, along with a CT scanner, will be craned into the outpatient building through a temporary opening in the building’s facade on July 6, as that building prepares for opening later this year.
Over the past two months, work has focused on installing the crane bases required to support the next stage of construction.
With that work now complete, installation of the cranes is under way.
‘‘These cranes will play a critical role over the next two and a-half years, lifting the heavy structural steel and major building components needed to construct the hospital,’’ Mr Brown said.
‘‘Their arrival is a clear sign that this project is advancing as planned and that momentum is continuing to build.’’
About 40 workers are on site each day, with that number expected to increase to about 80 in the coming weeks as construction progresses.
At peak construction, the project is expected to support more than 900 full-time equivalent jobs and inject about $100 million into the local economy each year.
Cr John Chambers, a longtime advocate of the hospital, said it was exciting news.
‘‘I think the building is finally going to reach up into the sky,’’ he said.
But he added the caveat that he hoped the staffing issues were being addressed in time for the keys being handed over for the outpatient building.
‘‘It’s important that they have the staffing sorted out, both for the new outpatient building when it opens up and also for the actual hospital inpatient building when that opens up.’’
The inpatients building is expected to be complete late 2031.
Mr Brown was pleased with the progress of the outpatient building, particularly the arrival of the new equipment.
‘‘Installing this specialist equipment marks the transition from constructing the facility to preparing it for patient care.
‘‘Their arrival is another visible sign that the outpatient building is nearing completion.’’
