Upper Drive At Methodist Hospital Closing Feb. 23

Aided by good weather the first of the year and a diligent construction team, the $90 million surgery renovation and expansion project at Methodist Hospital is progressing along as planned.

However, a major exterior component of the project will result in the closing of the campus’ upper drive beginning Monday, Feb. 23.

The upper drive closure will allow for the extensive exterior work to begin, which means heavy equipment and scaffolding are required. The upper drive at Methodist Hospital will be closed for the next 18 months.

“We are extremely excited by the progress being made on our surgery renovation and expansion project at Methodist Hospital,” said Steve Goeser, President and CEO of Methodist Hospital. “These kinds of projects don’t come without some disruption, such as the closing of our upper drive. But we have a great plan in place which will allow us to continue to provide our outstanding valet service to the visitors of our campus as well as access to the other buildings which will be impacted by this phase of the construction.”

Signage will be in place to assist, but here is what patients, families and visitors will need to know:

• Traffic flow will be one-way (north to south) from Dodge to Farnam on the lower drive.
• Parking will not be allowed on the lower drive at any time.
• Valet services will be provided from the lower drive of the North Tower and at the east entrance of Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (MECC).
• Patient discharges will occur from the lower drive of the South Tower.
• Traffic flow into the MECC parking lot will also be one-way north to south when entering from Farnam Street. The exit will be on the south side of the MECC parking lot.  
• The north entrance of the MECC will be open to foot traffic, but the circle drive will be closed to vehicle traffic.   
• The lower drive South Tower entrance door will be modified to accommodate bariatric wheel chairs.

“As the regional leader in surgeries, we are certainly eager about this project and the level of surgical care we will be able to continue to provide upon completion,” Goeser said. “Our staff is prepared to make the closure period go as smoothly as possible, allowing us to continue our focus on providing outstanding patient care.”

The surgery renovation and expansion will result in 15 operating rooms (650 square feet each) and 44 private recovery rooms. Prior to the project, Methodist had 12 operating rooms (420 square feet each) and 32 prep/recovery rooms.

More information about visitor services at Methodist, including maps and valet information, can be found at http://www.bestcare.org/methodist-hospital/patients-visitors/parking/