Before John Muir can open its new, expanded five-story hospital tower at its campus off Ygnacio Valley Road, the hospital facility needs to finish street improvements on Ygnacio Valley and La Casa Via that will "allow more efficient traffic flow," says a press release.
The road work is expected to begin Thursday and to finish in November. According to Ben Drew, director of corporate communications for John Muir Health, the road work includes the following:
Before I go on, I should mention that a a specially designated webpage on the John Muir website, listing roadwork updates, says that AT&T was supposed to begin work underground on their utilities last week. This work would require one lane of Ygnacio Valley Road to be closed. The lane closure would take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
--Widening Ygnacio Valley Road for both a new right turn lane from eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road onto La Casa Via and a second left turn lane from westbound Ygnacio Valley Road onto La Casa Via.
--Widening La Casa Via for a new dedicated right turn lane from La Casa Via onto eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road.
--Repaving eastbound Ygnacio Valley Road from 250 feet west of La Casa Via to John Muir Drive.
--Repaving the intersection at Ygnacio Valley Road, Kinross Drive, and La Casa Via.
--Repaving La Casa Via from Ygnacio Valley Road to Montego.
--Traffic signal improvements at the intersections of Ygnacio Valley Road and John Muir Drive and Ygnacio Valley Road and La Casa Via.
--Relocation and reconstruction of the Ygnacio Valley Road median between La Casa Via and John Muir Drive.
And, why is all this road work taking place?
Says the release from John Muir: the campus is completing its five-story, 380,000-square-foot Tom and Billie Long Patient Care Tower, which will double the size of the John Muir-Walnut Creek campus.
"The building has been designed to promote a healing environment for patients with rooms specifically designed to maximize space for technology, staff and family members," the release says.
"In addition to 242 new patient beds, of which 230 will be in private patient rooms, there will also be a new lobby and a separate public elevator and corridor system to ensure patient privacy. Other highlights include three new inpatient surgical suites, a high-speed trauma elevator that will carry patients directly from the helipad on the roof of the tower to the emergency room, 24 new, larger, private critical care rooms and 13 new intensive care neonatal beds."
