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Site preparations will begin in late September 2018 for the construction of UNC Hospitals’ Surgical Tower, a seven-story building to be built in front of NC Memorial Hospital. The Surgical Tower will offer enhanced space and features for our surgeons and staff, including modernized operating rooms, improved space for recovering patients, and more space for families and guests. When completed in 2022, the Surgical Tower will be the largest building on UNC Hospitals Chapel Hill campus at more than 330,000 square feet. Learn more about what to expect.

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An artist rendering of the completed tower

As we begin this exciting project, please note that the construction will have major impacts on pedestrian and vehicle traffic for both patients and staff in front of UNC Hospitals. Some of the first changes you will notice will include:

  • When site preparations begin in late September, construction fencing will be erected to mark off the perimeter of the construction zone. At this time, the Memorial Hospital entrance will be closed to pedestrians.
  • Also in late September, vehicular traffic in front of the hospital will be rerouted. When this occurs, both Memorial Hospital and NC Children’s Hospital will be inaccessible to vehicles. The pedestrian entrance to NC Children’s Hospital will remain open.
  • To limit the volume of traffic in front of UNC Hospitals once site preparation begins, employees being dropped-off or picked-up should do so in Jackson Circle – the traffic circle between the Jackson Parking Deck and the Physician’s Office Building. You can then walk up the steps to the bridge that connects to the Cancer Hospital.
  • Parking spaces in the CG parking lot in front of Memorial Hospital will be relocated to other parking decks when the new parking year begins on Aug. 15. Persons affected by this change have already been notified.
  • Handicapped parking in front of Memorial Hospital will be moved to the Dogwood Deck.
  • To assist patients and guests with mobility issues, including those parking in the newly relocated handicapped spots, golf cart service between the parking decks and the Cancer Hospital will be enhanced starting Sept. 1 with a new route and the addition of another cart.

We will share much more information about Surgical Tower site preparations and impacts on pedestrian and vehicular traffic in front of UNC Hospitals in the coming weeks, including key points to share with patients/guests and maps. In the meantime, general information about the project is available at this intranet page. Have questions about the project? Send them to uncmcsurgicaltower@unchealth.unc.edu.