Orange cones, backhoes and hard hats signal the start of something big at the SRC

After years of planning, a pause during the first COVID-19 wave and some pandemic-related updates, the Saint Raphael Campus Neuroscience Center and Bed Tower project site work is under way. 

Preparations for the project started in 2019, when Yale New Haven Hospital announced plans to build the Neuroscience Center for patients seeking innovative care, from treatment for movement disorders to procedures for neuro-regeneration. The project also includes 214 single patient rooms in two inpatient bed towers. Two ICUs are planned, but all rooms in the towers will have medical gasses and power to match an ICU-level environment. 

The project also includes a new Orchard Street parking garage, heating and cooling plant upgrades and renovations of some existing buildings and departments. Construction is scheduled to be complete in 2026; facilities are scheduled to open to patients in 2027.

Renderings show the site of the project earlier this year, and how it will look once the new Neuroscience Center and inpatient bed towers are complete.

“Projects of this size are always complex, but working on a hospital site requires significantly more planning, preparation and precautions to ensure we aren’t disrupting patient care,” said Louis Faassen, director of Facilities Planning with Facilities, Design and Construction. “We will provide ongoing communications on the work for patients, visitors, staff and hospital neighbors so they know what to expect.” 

Much of the initial work will occur in the area between the back of the Selina Lewis and Verdi buildings and the front of the McGivney Advanced Surgery Center. Upcoming activities include (schedules subject to change): 

• Now – September: crews will excavate in the area and begin relocating some utilities. Employees can expect some noise during the day.
• Two temporary boilers placed on the George Street side of the existing heating and cooling plant will allow crews to replace old, inefficient steam plant equipment.  
• May - September: Underground utility work along Orchard Street, near the garage, will allow crews to remove overhead wires and prepare for sidewalk improvements and landscaping near project completion.
• August: Crews will fence in the site of the future Neuroscience Center and Bed Tower project near the McGivney Center.

Because the project will be built on the existing SRC footprint, the Convent, Private and Whitcomb buildings, along with two houses previously used for general offices and the Pastoral Care department, will be demolished to make way for new structures. Demolition is scheduled to begin in the fall and will be completed in phases.
Watch for updates on the Neuroscience Center and Bed Tower project, including a ground-breaking ceremony to be held this summer.