A Massive Hospital Construction Project Underway in Billings

If you don't get into downtown Billings very often, you may not have noticed that a major project is underway. The massive new St. Vincent's Regional Hospital project has begun on North 27th Street, as Intermountain Health begins prepping the site for its new, 14-story facility.

With a price tag of roughly a billion dollars, this has got to be one of the biggest developments in recent Billings history. Lee Boyles, Intermountain Health president for St. Vincent Regional Hospital and the Montana-Wyoming market, told KTVQ at the groundbreaking ceremony,

It'll be the best hospital in the state of Montana, hands down, not even a question. It'll be the most beautiful, the most state of the art, the most technology.

Construction is expected to take several years, with a completion date set for 2029.

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A big impact on the local economy.

Hospital officials note that during the construction of the new hospital, up to 700 workers will be on the site at one time, with an estimated 1,200 workers total contributing to the effort. All of these workers will be eating, drinking, and spending money in the Billings area, certainly boosting the hospitality industry.

Based upon similarly sized construction projects around the country, they estimate $13.5 million could be spent on accommodations and housing, and $6 million spent in grocery stores and restaurants alone, writes Intermountain Health.

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St. Vincent's Hospital officially opened on February 1, 1899, making it one of the earliest medical centers in Montana. The original brick building has been added onto many times over the decades, making for a sprawling, somewhat disjointed footprint. The new facility will be state-of-the-art and will surely be easier to navigate than the current campus.