UCHealth held a groundbreaking ceremony on 13 October 2026 to launch a $463 million expansion of its Memorial Hospital North campus in Colorado Springs.

The first phase will add four operating rooms, raising the total to 14, and 12 new emergency‑department exam rooms; a later phase will bring the operating‑room count to 18.

A six‑story inpatient tower on the west side of the campus will provide 50 additional beds, increasing capacity from 140 to 190 and allowing future growth to 320 beds.

Construction of an 875‑space covered parking garage on the east side is planned to start in December 2026, with opening expected in the spring of 2028, making it the first new element to become operational.

JE Dunn Construction is the general contractor; utility relocation began in May 2026 to prepare for the vertical addition that will sit atop the existing Sterile Processing Department.

The design team, involving Perkins & Will and Specialized Engineering Solutions, is targeting LEED Silver equivalency and an Energy Star rating of 80 or higher for the new facilities.

UCHealth says the expansion will create roughly 300 permanent jobs on top of its current 1,200‑strong workforce, while peak construction activity will involve 200 to 300 workers on site.

The hospital’s occupancy averaged 94 percent last year, often reaching full capacity, prompting patients to wait in the emergency department or recovery areas until beds become available.

Rising demand underpins the project: between 2020 and 2025, hospitalizations rose 25 percent, emergency visits 41 percent and surgeries 59 percent at the Briargate campus.

Local leaders, including Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC President Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, described the expansion as a major long‑term investment for the community at the ceremony attended by more than 100 guests.

All phases of the project are scheduled for completion by summer 2029.