UW hospital expansion announced/WSDOT report card released

Renovation to double the size of the University of Washington regional heart center

The new Regional Heart Center at the University of Washington Medical Center will provide a highly visible "front door" presence for centralized cardiac services now scattered throughout the building.

Work on the $5.8 million project, the first major renovation of the building since l979, is scheduled to begin in early April and take about a year to complete. The renovation will more than double the space now occupied by cardiac services.

"As a major referral center for heart patients from throughout the Northwest, Idaho and Alaska, the UW needs a facility that reflects the excellent care provided by committed physicians and staff using state-of-the-art equipment," said Mike Yates, a principal at Mahlum Architects.

Beginning with "charrette" discussions, physicians, nurses, technicians and administrators worked with the Mahlum team to develop a design that provides greater access to daylight and space that accommodates high tech equipment.

"From the moment a patient enters the main hospital lobby on the third floor, clear signage and the welcoming layout of the entry will make the UW Regional Heart Center much more prominent and very easy to find," Yates said.

A lighted wooden wall that extends into the main "mall" corridor will identify the heart center lobby. Frameless glass doors will open into the lobby, which will be divided into two areas. One waiting area will be active, for people coming in and out of the center. The other will be more contemplative and appropriate for consultations, family gatherings or private meetings.

Relocation of several existing third floor departments will provide an opportunity for outpatient pharmacy and blood draw to share waiting and public spaces.

The Regional Heart Center also will include a Mahlum-designed cardiovascular procedures area (CPA), already under construction on the second floor. This 9,300-square foot area encompasses two catherization labs, an electrophysiology (EP) lab, a special procedures lab, a vascular angiography lab, control and equipment rooms, scrub areas and patient recovery areas.

Construction work on the CPA began in mid-June and is expected to be completed in mid-June 2005. CDK, of Duvall, Wash., is the contractor. The main heart center project will go for bid in this month.

"The UW School of Medicine is the primary training site for cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons in the region, so these facilities improvements will help us meet our very unique missions of patient care, research and teaching," said Dr. Larry Dean, professor of medicine and director of the UW Medicine Regional Heart Center.

The UW Medicare cardiovascular program, the only one of its kind in western Washington that performs cardiac transplantation, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2005.

WSDOT Releases Construction Report

OLYMPIA - The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) released its year-end summary of highway construction projects under way this past summer. The 2004 Construction Highlights Report is a self-assessment of WSDOT's on-time, on-budget performance. This fourth annual report focuses on 25 highway improvement projects that were built during the 2004 construction season. It can be found on WSDOT's Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov.

The report is a self-evaluation of four elements of construction, including the project's design, construction management, cost and schedule. Using standard criteria, project engineers review each highway construction project to see how well it stayed within its original plans, budget, and completion date, and how well WSDOT worked with the contractor as a team. Projects selected for the report represent a variety of construction types and environments found across the state. At least three projects were selected from each of WSDOT's six regions.

"We're pleased that 11 of the 25 projects selected for review had the highest, five-star, ratings in all four of our evaluation categories," said Kevin Dayton, WSDOT State Construction Engineer. "These projects were selected back in April, before construction had started for most, so it was impossible to know at that time how they would fare. As we would expect in any construction season, some projects had better results than others. All of them are learning opportunities."

Ranging in value from $145,500 to $24 million, these 25 projects provide a snapshot of the 114 highway construction projects that were under way between January and September 2004. Here is a sampling of the projects included in the report:

• Largest value project: Clark County - State Route 433, Lewis and Clark Bridge - Deck Replacement project between Longview, WA and Rainier, OR. This project is estimated to have a final payment to the contractor of $24.1 million.
  
  
• Highest rated large project in Western Washington: Snohomish County - I-5, Lynnwood Park & Ride Access Improvement, which opened to traffic nearly one year early and within its $13 million budget.
  
  
• Highest rated large project in Eastern Washington: Grant County - I-90, Moses Lake West Paving. Although minor changes were made to the project design, this $3.5 million project was completed on time and under budget.
  
  
• Lowest rated project: Snohomish County - I-5, Ash Way Park & Ride Direct Access, major design changes were needed when it was realized the original plan was not a good fit for the location. The project will be finished one year late and $2 million over its $14 million budget.