Site work on Bristol Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center at Centre Square has begun, reports City Engineer Raymond Rogozinski.
Construction crews were seen taking chainsaws to trees across the street from Main Street at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. A bulldozer and excavator remained parked in the lot afterward.
A portion of the former parking area near the lot’s original entrance is now enclosed.
“Bristol Hospital has fenced in their property and is beginning the site work,” said Rogozinski. “Now that the fence is established, they can begin excavating, filling and leveling the grounds for their approved site and installing utilities. As part of their plan, the trees will eventually be replaced along the roadside and trees will also be planted on the site itself.”
Rogozinski emphasized that the city still owns a parcel to the north of the planned site of the eventual 60,000-square-foot, three-story building.
A “driveway apron” was constructed to replace the original entrance to the parking lot, which will provide parking for those who wish to visit Main Street businesses including Main Street Pint & Plate, The Bristol Press, Ascension Athletics and Catherine’s Uniforms.
The city is also working on creating a road through the Centre Square lot, which will connect with the Bristol Hospital center.
The 1,000-foot Centre Square access road will begin at the intersection of North Main and Laurel streets and will cut through Centre Square to Riverside Avenue.
Utilities, conduits, a sanitary sewer system and a potable water system along with most of the electrical system are being installed in the road, as is most of the electrical system.
The Bristol Hospital Ambulatory Care Center will houses services for cardiology, endocrinology and diabetes, neurology, orthopedics, rheumatology and urology.
The center is intended to spur development of the downtown area. According to Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, the city is already reviewing proposals for other parcels.