UCHealth has officially broken ground on a massive expansion of Memorial Hospital North in Colorado Springs, a $463 million project that will add 50 beds, new operating rooms and emergency department space over the next three years. The hospital, located in the Briargate area, has been running at near or full capacity for years, and the new construction is meant to finally give it room to breathe.
The expansion centers on a new six-floor inpatient tower that will push the hospital's capacity to 190 beds, with the ability to grow to 320 beds down the road, according to The Gazette. The first phase will add four operating rooms for a total of 14, with four more planned later to bring that number to 18, and the project will also add 12 new emergency department exam rooms. UCHealth says the hospital will add about 300 employees once the work is finished.
Years of Overcrowding Push the Project Forward
The need behind the expansion isn't subtle. The Gazette reports that hospitalizations at Memorial Hospital North rose 25% between 2020 and 2025, emergency department visits climbed 41%, and the number of surgeries jumped 59% over that same stretch. The hospital's Medical and Surgical Units averaged 94% occupancy last year and many times hit 100%, per the same report.
Lonnie Cramer, president and CEO of UCHealth Southern Region, has pointed to that strain as the driving force behind the build, telling KRDO that the hospital has been operating at near or full capacity for years now. KRDO also notes this marks Memorial Hospital North's third major expansion since the hospital opened in 2007.
Behind the scenes, utility relocation work began in May to prepare for the vertical addition, which will sit atop the hospital's existing Sterile Processing Department, the Gazette reported. At the height of construction activity, 200 to 300 workers are expected to be on site at once. JE Dunn Construction is serving as general contractor on the project — the same company that built the original Memorial Hospital North two decades ago.
Cost and Parking Figures Shift From Earlier Plans
The project's price tag has moved since UCHealth first outlined its plans. The Gazette's current reporting puts the undertaking at $463 million, while UCHealth's own December 2024 announcement had estimated the project at $407 million. A separate project listing from Specialized Engineering Solutions describes the work as a $400 million effort.
Parking plans have shifted too. The Gazette reports the expansion now includes a covered parking garage with 875 spaces on the east side of campus, scheduled for completion in spring 2028. That differs from UCHealth's December 2024 plan, which described a 979-stall, six-level parking structure expected to be finished in 2027. The dossier does not reconcile these differing figures.
What Else Is Included in the Build
Beyond beds and operating rooms, the expansion includes recovery rooms and a remodeled kitchen and cafeteria, according to the Gazette's reporting. All renovations tied to the project are expected to be completed by the summer of 2029.
UCHealth's earlier December 2024 plan had called for nearly 330,000 square feet of new construction, with about 45% of that space slated for immediate build-out and the rest shelled for future growth. That same earlier plan described a six-story tower increasing bed capacity from 140 to 190, with room to grow to 320 beds — figures that align closely with what's now moving forward on site.
The project's design work also carries sustainability targets, including an energy use intensity of 120 or lower, an Energy Star rating of 80 or higher, LEED Silver equivalency and adherence to WELL Building Standard best practices, according to Specialized Engineering Solutions.
