Watch this Exclusive “Under Construction Video” of Downtown Utica Hospital

Downtown Utica is under construction like never before, with a new traffic pattern and the addition of new sidewalks and streets, the Nexus Center, and of course, the downtown Utica hospital project.

The Wynn Hospital of the Mohawk Valley Health System will give the city's downtown area a brand new skyline and a completely different look. The project, which recently received a $50 million shot in the arm from billionaire Steve Wynn, is expected to be completed and operational in 2023. Wynn is a Utica native and keeps a summer home in the nearby Adirondacks.

Recently WIBX's Keeler Show was given a guided tour through the construction site by MVHS Chief Operations Officer, Bob Schofield. Schofield described the construction scene and the challenges of operating such a project during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pointed out some key elements including the new facade, the future of the parking garage, and the 11 full-size elevators that will take patients, visitors and staff up and down the 10 floor design. Schofield said there's healthcare staff on the site and said so far, there have only been a a handful of positive COVID-19 cases since construction started, each of which were contracted off site.

The new hospital is expected to span 702,000 square feet, will be 10-floors and feature 373 beds. The new Emergency Room will feature 47 ED treatment spaces, 6 behavioral treatment stations and 10 observation beds. The hospital emergency room will be set up to see some 90,000 patients per year.

Schofield said the construction is moving on-schedule, and he boasted of the contractor's organization with crews working inward at both ends of the facility, with the goal of meeting in the middle. He said each piece of steel, which was Made in America, came with a corresponding number signifying where it should be placed, much like putting together pieces of a puzzle. So far, over $32 million has been paid to local contractors who have been hired for the job.

Watch this exclusive video tour of the construction site and future home of Wynn Hospital of MVHS in Utica.