Design and Construction Report staff writer
The Brookhaven Town Board has unanimously approved a $650 million expansion and modernization of NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk, clearing the way for a major construction project expected to take more than three years.
The project at 101 Hospital Rd. includes a 270,000-sq. ft. addition featuring a new seven-story, 144-bed pavilion for medical, surgical and intensive care services.
There are also plans to add parking spaces and renovate portions of the existing hospital. When completed all patient rooms will be single occupancy.
Work is expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs, with local building trades organizations pushing for area workers to be hired throughout the construction program.
“From a building trades’ perspective, from a laborer’s perspective, this puts a lot of us to work,” Vincent Alu, business manager and secretary-treasurer of Laborers’ Local 66, said at the Board meeting. “Everything from demolition in the existing hospital through the foundation work and everything up and through a new facility.”
Matthew Aracich, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents about 65,000 members, also addressed the board in support of the project. Members of several construction trades attended the meeting.
“We have bricklayers, laborers, tile, marble and terrazzo, carpenters, plumbers, fitters, electricians, ironworkers and the like,” Aracich said. “What we’re looking to do is make sure we have the opportunity to put all of those to work,” adding that the majority of workers will be from Brookhaven.
“Our goal is to make sure we have local jobs for local people,” he said.
The hospital site opened as Brookhaven Memorial Hospital and later operated as Long Island Community Hospital before being integrated into NYU Langone Health. The approved expansion is intended to increase inpatient capacity and modernize the hospital’s existing facilities while creating additional space for patient care.
Construction is expected to continue for more than three years, according to the project application.
