Alabama-based construction firm Robins & Morton and Encompass Health on Wednesday broke ground on a new rehabilitation hospital in Huntsville.

When completed, the new facility will replace the existing Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama located on Governors Drive in Huntsville’s Medical District.

The new facility will be a state-of-the-art, 77,850-square-foot location at the corner of Moores Mill Road and Highway 72.

The hospital will house 76 beds, featuring patient rooms, an in-house pharmacy, a top-notch rehabilitation gym, an outdoor training courtyard, a six-chair dialysis suite, four bariatric rooms, an isolation room, day rooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, a dining room and an additional courtyard for outdoor dining and leisure.

Founded in 1946, Robins & Morton is a Birmingham-based firm with offices in Charlotte, Dallas, Huntsville, Miami, Nashville, Orlando and San Antonio. The company was named the second largest healthcare contractor in the nation for 2018.

“It’s a privilege to play a role in expanding access to advanced care in our home state,” stated Robins & Morton vice president Donny Williams. “We thank Encompass Health for that opportunity and congratulate them on this milestone.”

The new hospital will reportedly be constructed using a prefabricated exterior load-bearing wall system. Utilizing prefabrication is expected to increase quality and speed-to-market, while also allowing the team to achieve schedule-critical activities such as dry-in at an expedited pace.

The new facility is expected to open to patients in the spring of 2022.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn