Royal Alexandra Hospital rebuild planned over 16 years

The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton is set for a $4.5-billion revamp that would see nine of 20 buildings renovated or demolished over the next 16 years.

Alberta Health Services is in the final stages of pulling together a plan for the hospital campus that would roll out in four phases.

If approved, phase one and two will cost $2.75 billion and will take 10 years to complete.

"It is a massive hospital build," said Dr. David Mador, vice-president and medical director of northern Alberta for Alberta Health Services. "As time goes on and the standards for building acute care hospitals go up, the cost of building the hospitals today is so much higher than it used to be."

The first two phases include the construction of an acute care tower with 800 beds, a new child and adolescent mental health building, and renovations to the active and diagnostic treatment centres.

A new clinical services building is also part of the plan. Services from a number of the older, demolished structures will be consolidated in this new building.

Mador said the biggest challenge is keeping the hospital running at the same time as the rebuild.

A draft copy of the plan appeared in media reports Tuesday. Mador said the plan should be completed next month.

Mador said the Royal Alexandra and Misericordia Hospitals are aging facilities that need to be upgraded.

Provincial funding for the project has not been approved.