New road will connect Newton Road to UI Hospitals & Clinics

[cigaretteman]

The first new road to be built on campus in more than a decade will connect Newton Road to the fountain entrance of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, a project necessary to make way for construction of the new inpatient tower.





The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, will consider the project at its meeting Nov. 15-16 in Cedar Falls.





The road will be built between Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the General Hospital pavilion, which will mean the temporary relocation of the VA Loop bus stop, which serves about 500 transit stops per day.





“We understand this will mean an additional disruption for some who commute to our health care campus, but we encourage everyone to try to remember that it’s a temporary disruption that will result in significant improvements,” says Rod Lehnertz, senior vice president for finance and operations. “We know these disruptions can be frustrating, and we will explore ways to keep the impact to a minimum for our faculty, staff, patients, and visitors.”

While the construction will temporarily cause longer commute times for some people who take the bus to campus, the stop will remain open during construction.





When complete, the project will include an improved bus stop, loop, and new roundabout. The bus loop will be able to accommodate up to five buses at a time and allow riders to easily identify which direction a bus is traveling. Eventually, the road will serve as an additional exit for Hospital Parking Ramp 2. The project also will allow the university to consider improvements for bicycling and walking paths in the area.





Construction will begin in the spring with relocation of utilities and is expected to be substantially complete by fall 2024. Projected cost is $17.5 million.

Enabling projects​

The new road is one of several projects that need to be completed before construction on the new inpatient tower can begin.





Because the inpatient tower will be built on the footprint of existing Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center, the new road is needed to ensure efficient access to UI Hospitals & Clinics.





Other projects that will make way for the new inpatient tower include:

• Construction of the new Hawkeye Ramp. A 985-space, five-level parking ramp is under construction on a portion of Parking Lot 43 north of Kinnick Stadium. This ramp will replace the aging Hospital Ramp 1, which will be torn down to make way for the inpatient tower.
• Construction of the new Health Sciences Academic Building, underway now at South Grand and Melrose avenues, just south of Slater Residence Hall. Because the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center on Hawkins Drive will need to be removed to make way for the inpatient tower, the Communication Sciences and Disorders program will move to the new academic building. Joining it will be the fast-growing Health and Human Physiology department, and the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences department.
• Relocation of the water tower near the main entrance of UI Hospitals & Clinics. A new water tower will be constructed northwest of the football practice fields, increasing the amount of water storage for campus. Once the new water tower is online, the current tower will be torn down.

About the inpatient tower​

The lifesaving and life-changing health care provided by UI Hospitals & Clinics is in high demand. UI Hospitals & Clinics serves the entire state of Iowa and often has adult inpatient bed occupancy rates that are above industry standards.


The university recently selected the construction manager at risk and an architectural design firm for the new tower through its competitive bid process. Read the update here.




Additionally, many of the buildings on the UI Hospitals & Clinics campus are at or approaching 50 years of age. The campus is in significant need of modernization to support its tripartite mission of education, research, and patient care.


“The new adult inpatient tower will be an important part of our campus and fulfilling our mission to care for Iowans for generations to come,” says Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.


The tower will be built on the north side of UI Hospitals & Clinics on the footprint currently occupied by Hospital Parking Ramp 1, the water tower, and the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center. Construction on the new tower is expected to begin in 2025 after these structures are taken down.


The new inpatient tower and adjacent multi-story concourse will create a welcoming front door to UI Hospitals & Clinics and is expected to include features such as:

• New entrances to the main hospital for patients, staff, and other visitors.
• Space for the ancillary patient care services, such as pathology, radiology, and pharmacy.
• An inpatient surgery platform with multiple operating rooms.
• Multiple floors of inpatient units (48 beds per floor, each composed of two 24-bed units).
• Shelled spaces to allow for future growth.
• Public amenity space with full-glass views of Kinnick Stadium and the surrounding Iowa City landscape.

Made possible by a $70 million gift from the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation, the new inpatient tower also will be funded by patient revenue and Medicaid directed payments.

New road will connect Newton Road to UI Hospitals & Clinics

The first new road to be built on campus in more than a decade will connect Newton Road to the fountain entrance of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, a project necessary to make way for construction of the new inpatient tower.

now.uiowa.edu

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

So is the roundabout at Woolf Ave and Newton road? An expanded, labeled map would be nice...

 

[cigaretteman]

So is the roundabout at Woolf Ave and Newton road? An expanded, labeled map would be nice...

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

The first new road to be built on campus in more than a decade will connect Newton Road to the fountain entrance of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, a project necessary to make way for construction of the new inpatient tower.





The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, will consider the project at its meeting Nov. 15-16 in Cedar Falls.





The road will be built between Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the General Hospital pavilion, which will mean the temporary relocation of the VA Loop bus stop, which serves about 500 transit stops per day.





“We understand this will mean an additional disruption for some who commute to our health care campus, but we encourage everyone to try to remember that it’s a temporary disruption that will result in significant improvements,” says Rod Lehnertz, senior vice president for finance and operations. “We know these disruptions can be frustrating, and we will explore ways to keep the impact to a minimum for our faculty, staff, patients, and visitors.”

While the construction will temporarily cause longer commute times for some people who take the bus to campus, the stop will remain open during construction.





When complete, the project will include an improved bus stop, loop, and new roundabout. The bus loop will be able to accommodate up to five buses at a time and allow riders to easily identify which direction a bus is traveling. Eventually, the road will serve as an additional exit for Hospital Parking Ramp 2. The project also will allow the university to consider improvements for bicycling and walking paths in the area.





Construction will begin in the spring with relocation of utilities and is expected to be substantially complete by fall 2024. Projected cost is $17.5 million.

Enabling projects​

The new road is one of several projects that need to be completed before construction on the new inpatient tower can begin.





Because the inpatient tower will be built on the footprint of existing Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center, the new road is needed to ensure efficient access to UI Hospitals & Clinics.





Other projects that will make way for the new inpatient tower include:

• Construction of the new Hawkeye Ramp. A 985-space, five-level parking ramp is under construction on a portion of Parking Lot 43 north of Kinnick Stadium. This ramp will replace the aging Hospital Ramp 1, which will be torn down to make way for the inpatient tower.
• Construction of the new Health Sciences Academic Building, underway now at South Grand and Melrose avenues, just south of Slater Residence Hall. Because the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center on Hawkins Drive will need to be removed to make way for the inpatient tower, the Communication Sciences and Disorders program will move to the new academic building. Joining it will be the fast-growing Health and Human Physiology department, and the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences department.
• Relocation of the water tower near the main entrance of UI Hospitals & Clinics. A new water tower will be constructed northwest of the football practice fields, increasing the amount of water storage for campus. Once the new water tower is online, the current tower will be torn down.

About the inpatient tower​

The lifesaving and life-changing health care provided by UI Hospitals & Clinics is in high demand. UI Hospitals & Clinics serves the entire state of Iowa and often has adult inpatient bed occupancy rates that are above industry standards.


The university recently selected the construction manager at risk and an architectural design firm for the new tower through its competitive bid process. Read the update here.




Additionally, many of the buildings on the UI Hospitals & Clinics campus are at or approaching 50 years of age. The campus is in significant need of modernization to support its tripartite mission of education, research, and patient care.


“The new adult inpatient tower will be an important part of our campus and fulfilling our mission to care for Iowans for generations to come,” says Denise Jamieson, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.


The tower will be built on the north side of UI Hospitals & Clinics on the footprint currently occupied by Hospital Parking Ramp 1, the water tower, and the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center. Construction on the new tower is expected to begin in 2025 after these structures are taken down.


The new inpatient tower and adjacent multi-story concourse will create a welcoming front door to UI Hospitals & Clinics and is expected to include features such as:

• New entrances to the main hospital for patients, staff, and other visitors.
• Space for the ancillary patient care services, such as pathology, radiology, and pharmacy.
• An inpatient surgery platform with multiple operating rooms.
• Multiple floors of inpatient units (48 beds per floor, each composed of two 24-bed units).
• Shelled spaces to allow for future growth.
• Public amenity space with full-glass views of Kinnick Stadium and the surrounding Iowa City landscape.

Made possible by a $70 million gift from the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation, the new inpatient tower also will be funded by patient revenue and Medicaid directed payments.

New road will connect Newton Road to UI Hospitals & Clinics

The first new road to be built on campus in more than a decade will connect Newton Road to the fountain entrance of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, a project necessary to make way for construction of the new inpatient tower.

now.uiowa.edu

Should we be worried about the quality of this proposal given they cannot spell the VA “hospital” correctly?

 

[cigaretteman]

Should we be worried about the quality of this proposal given they cannot spell the VA “hospital” correctly?

I didn't even notice!

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Yeah I saw that, Is that Woolf Ave headed to the upper left? Not labeled that I can see. Hawkins Drive at bottom?

 

[95Hawk]

Yeah I saw that, Is that Woolf Ave headed to the upper left? Not labeled that I can see. Hawkins Drive at bottom?

Wouldn’t that just be Newton Road that’s to the upper left of the image? Woolf Ave is too far north and west to be captured in that image.

 

[Joes Place]

Didn't Newton Rd used to run in front of the Hardin Library?

Haven't been over there in probably a couple decades now; IIRC, that road ran in front of the Library and in front of what is now the "Genetics" building.

 

[Joes Place]

So is the roundabout at Woolf Ave and Newton road? An expanded, labeled map would be nice...

No; that's outside the map, upper left.

 

[ANYCHawk]

Hell yes, roundabout, old people, @JWolf74 crappy driving....what could go wrong!

 

[Joes Place]

Yeah I saw that, Is that Woolf Ave headed to the upper left? Not labeled that I can see. Hawkins Drive at bottom?

This is the Google Map area:

Iowa City, IA 52242

Iowa City, IA

www.google.com

Connecting that access Rd between GH and Parking #1 to the bus/VA loop (to be new roundabout) along Newton

 

[cigaretteman]

Here's a better view:

 

[cigaretteman]

Continuing an explosion in growth beyond its pending $28 million purchase of Iowa City’s Mercy Hospital, the University of Iowa this week will ask the state Board of Regents for permission to move forward with another $36.5 million in health care-related construction — including $17.5 million for a new road paving the way for a planned $1 billion inpatient tower.



“The first new road to be built on campus in more than a decade will connect Newton Road to the fountain entrance of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, a project necessary to make way for construction of the new inpatient tower,” according to the UI Office of Strategic Communication.


The 1,500 linear feet of new roadway, which will involve a roundabout, will fall between Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the general hospital pavilion, meaning that a popular bus stop serving 500 stops a day will be relocated temporarily.

A proposed 1,500 linear feet of new roadway at the University of Iowa, which will involve a roundabout, will fall between Hospital Parking Ramp 1 and the general hospital pavilion, meaning that a popular bus stop serving 500 stops a day will be relocated temporarily. (Supplied photo)

That could create longer commute times during construction, which is expected to last several months — starting in the spring and wrapping by fall 2024.


“We understand this will mean an additional disruption for some who commute to our health care campus, but we encourage everyone to try to remember that it’s a temporary disruption that will result in significant improvements,” UI Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Rod Lehnertz said in a statement.


Once complete, the improved bus stop and loop will be able to accommodate up to five buses at once and make it easier for riders to tell which direction a bus is heading.

 

[cigaretteman]

Burn center, neurology clinic​

Among the other UIHC-related requests going before the board are asks to spend $13.5 million to renovate and expand the burn treatment center and $5.5 million to expand the university’s neurology clinic.

A proposed project would renovate about 11,500 square feet of existing space at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Burn Treatment Center, the only burn center in Iowa verified by the American Burn Association to care for both adults and pediatric patients. (Rendering courtesy of Iowa Board of Regents)
“The Burn Treatment Center is one of 64 burn centers in the United States (and the only one in Iowa) officially verified by the American Burn Association to care for both adults and pediatrics,” according to the request to renovate 11,500 square feet for more burn inpatient rooms and a burn treatment outpatient clinic.


“The outpatient clinic would include a dedicated entrance, exam rooms, procedure room, waiting area and support spaces,” according to the request. “The expanded inpatient area would include new inpatient rooms, hydrotherapy rooms, staff workrooms and office space. Existing burn treatment inpatient rooms and support spaces would receive aesthetic updates.”

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UIHC executives in June reported the burn unit — which debuted in 1996 — has 17 intensive- and intermediate-care beds that serve patients across Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Within Iowa, the majority of patients come from Eastern and Central Iowa.

A proposed renovation of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Burn Treatment Center would provide additional burn inpatient rooms and a burn treatment outpatient clinic. (Rendering courtesy of the Iowa Board of Regents)
Children under 18 account for 30 percent of UIHC burn patients — the biggest slice of the unit’s patient pie — followed by those age 18 to 34, accounting for 23 percent. Among pediatric patients, the largest group is those 2 or younger, at 14 percent.


Common burn causes include fire, hot liquid and chemical burns. Although most burn patients stay at UIHC six days or fewer, a narrower portion stay for 31 or more days.


UIHC plans to tap patient revenue to fund the burn-unit expansion and its $5.5 million neurology clinic expansion, both of which are scheduled to start in the spring and finish in fall 2025.


For the neurology clinic, the university aims to add 11 exam rooms, conference and huddle spaces and a team workroom, helping “patients with neurological illnesses to be seen sooner.”

Property purchase​

Separate from its construction goals is a UIHC request going before the regents to buy 8,810 square feet of commercial space in Bettendorf that currently houses the Radiation Therapy Center of the Quad Cities.


For $1.9 million, the university would get the property adjoining space it already leases in the same medical office building for a hematology oncology practice.


“The acquisition of Dr. (Farida) Rajput’s practice would enable UI Health Care patients to have better access to a high standard of cancer care closer to home,” according to the request. “Having a UI Health Care hematology oncology practice co-located with a radiation oncology practice would allow patients to receive a broad spectrum of cancer services in one convenient location.”


The suite the university aims to buy has a 56 percent interest in the common area of the medical office building in which it sits — built in 1999 on 1.4 acres.


“This acquisition fits with UI Health Care’s long-term goals of increasing overall access to cancer services in the Quad Cities and extending UI Health Care’s cancer clinical programs of excellence to Eastern Iowans,” according to the request.


The regents are scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday at the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls.

Expansion​

The ever-expanding UIHC construction and pending purchases of Mercy and other smaller clinics aim toward the end of meeting growing demand for health care at the university — which officials report has been surging, leaving patients waiting hours to days in the emergency room for an open bed, for example.


“The lifesaving and life-changing health care provided by UI Hospitals & Clinics is in high demand,” according to UI communications, noting “many of the buildings on the UI Hospitals & Clinics campus are at or approaching 50 years of age.”


The previously announced plans for a $1 billion inpatient tower — with construction expected to begin in 2025 — will sit on a broad footprint now occupied by Hospital Parking Ramp 1, the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center and a water tower.


Although its design and conception are in the works, officials have said the tower would create a new “welcoming front door to UI Hospitals & Clinics.” Enabled by other massive construction projects — like those to accommodate several UI academic programs and services it footprint would displace — the new tower will feature:

• Space for ancillary patient care services like pathology, radiology and pharmacy;

• An inpatient surgery platform with multiple operating rooms;

• Multiple floors of inpatient units — at 48 beds per floor, composed of two 24-bed units;

• Unfinished spaces for future growth;

• And public amenity space with “full-glass views of Kinnick Stadium and the surrounding Iowa City landscape.”