St. Albans (April 16, 2015) – Work is scheduled to begin this week on NMC’s project to relocate Crest Road which provides access to the hospital, Doctor’s Office Commons, and Cobblestone Health Commons.  This project will provide greater access to parking in close proximity to the main entrance to the hospital, increase parking, improve pedestrian and traffic safety throughout campus, and improve the overall look and feel of the campus through lighting upgrades and landscaping. 

Crest Road will be moved to the east, closer to the Doctors Office Common.  Parking will be added at the front of the hospital and on both sides of the “new” Crest Road.  This will provide a needed increase in parking spaces for patients and visitors. With the movement of the road to the east, parking will also be near NMC’s Conference Center an important convenience for community members attending meetings and educational sessions at NMC. 

This project is also designed to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety.  Moving the road to the east will further separate this entrance to the hospital campus from the “crest” of Fairfield Street, making entering and exiting easier.  Moving the road also creates greater separation from Crest Road and NMC’s loading dock, significantly decreasing the disruption and safety concerns relating to large trucks backing off the road into the loading docks.  Creating a T-intersection towards the back of campus will allow for improved way-finding and slower traffic to improve pedestrian safety.

The work will be done by Dale E. Percy Construction, Inc. and will take about four months to complete.  Construction fence will be installed this week and early activities will include clearing the area to the east of Crest Road and adjacent to Fairfield Street of topsoil and trees.  To preserve some of the history, the two black walnut trees in that area will be milled for use in casework or furniture in the hospital.  NMC has a comprehensive replanting plan that will be implemented near the end of the project that features trees and other plantings. 

Access to the hospital, Doctors Office Common, and Cobblestone Health Commons will be maintained throughout the project, though access patterns will change on certain days depending on the work in progress.  These changes will be marked with detour signage. NMC has worked closely with our engineers and contractors to minimize disruption and appreciates the patience of the community with the work required to achieve the improvements to our campus.