Beginning Monday the section of Worth Street between the intersections of Rockford and S. South Streets, the section of street that divides the north campus of Northern Regional Hospital, will permanently close to through-traffic.
The move comes roughly four months after the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a request by the hospital for the closure and associated right-of-way to be transferred to the hospital. On August 9, the North Carolina Department of Transportation approved the city’s request for the move.
“This request was primarily related to improving campus safety for the hospital’s patients, employees, and guests, and to also help the hospital begin facilitating initial phases of its Master Campus Plan,” the hospital said in a statement released Thursday.
Following the street closing, the hospital will immediately begin construction of Phase 1A of its Master Campus Plan which will transform this portion of Worth Street from a public throughway to a private drive in-and-out of the hospital campus. Redevelopment of this north end of the campus is expected to be complete by late December.
During this first phase, entry into the hospital campus from the Rockford corner of Worth Street will be closed. This will cause a temporary shift in the traffic pattern for patients and guests entering Northern’s Emergency Department (Entrance E) and the parking in this immediate area.
In the first 6-8 weeks of construction, anyone needing to access the Emergency Department must enter from Rockford Street at the driveway for Entrance C. The hospital will have directional signage instructing patients and visitors how to enter this area.
Phase 1B of Northern’s Master Campus Plan began in September, directly behind the hospital’s Surgical Services building and can be seen from S. South Street. Erosion controls measures were put in place, trees were removed from the site, and the grading has begun. This project will expand the hospital’s employee parking, creating 66 additional spaces.
“Weather permitting and all goes as planned we expect this project to be completed by Dec. 17,” the hospital said in its statement.
The hospital’s Medical Office Building, Phase 1C of the Master Campus Plan, began this week with a groundbreaking held Thursday. This project involves construction of a 25,000 square-foot Medical Office Building located on-campus across S. South Street and directly behind the hospital on approximately four acres. The project will add about 300 parking spaces to this site.
This will accommodate the relocation of Northern Family Medicine, doubling their space to 17,000 square foot. The remainder of the medical office building will be unfinished at this time. This project is scheduled for completion by March 31, 2023.
