POTSDAM – The second phase of Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s Regional Care Pavilion (RCP) construction project involves the erection of the first structural steel columns.

A crane was delivered to the Hospital’s main campus on Monday, Jan. 16, and in less than 24-hours, the skeleton of the Pavilion began taking shape.

The largest piece of steel to be lifted into place will be an I-beam, weighing in at nine tons, and a total of 1,100 tons of steel will be used.

“The structural steel will be the main support on which all ceilings, floors, roofs, exterior walls, and interior support columns will be built. The first phase of the RCP project included the excavation work and creation of the foundations, which we expect to finish this week. With the erection of the structural steel, we are now into the second phase of vertical construction,” said St. Lawrence Health Facilities Director Randy VanBrocklin.

The large crane is expected to be on-site for approximately two months, and will then be replaced by a smaller crane.

Safety around the construction zone remains extremely important, and visitors to the hospital campus are encouraged to take note of the authorized personnel signage around the perimeters of the zone.

The hospital’s Main and Emergency entrances have relocated to the Cottage Street side of the building. Patients and visitors of the hospital should arrive at 25 Cottage St. for parking and access to emergency and non-emergency care.

The Center for Cancer Care and Leroy Outpatient Center entrances remain unaffected.

Additional construction project information and up-to-date photos may be found at https://stlawrencehealthsystem.org/about/regional-care-pavilion.