<< Back 6/12/02 WestCare addition in Bryson will reroute road By Don Hendershot WestCare Health System representatives provided details to the county board of the revised $2 million Swain County Hospital expansion that will reroute Plateau Street. Swain Hospital Administrator Jay Kirby told commissioners that original expansion plans just didn’t work. He cited traffic congestion, location and size of the proposed expansion and rising cost estimates. Kirby said planners went “back to the drawing board.” The plan unveiled June 10 was a radical departure from the original proposal. The plan calls for the rerouting of Plateau Street around the addition. Kirby said WestCare had worked closely with adjacent property owners and Bryson City town staff regarding the design and would continue to do so. There was a consensus of support for the new plan from adjacent property owners, and Bryson City aldermen offered a resolution of support. He said the road plan also met with DOT approval. WestCare hopes to finalize road relocation plans by July 8 and have a bid package for road construction ready by July 15. Plans are to have road construction finished by Dec. 1. Lee Isley of WestCare said it was imperative to have road construction finished before winter because asphalt plants close. Isley said WestCare also wants to get road construction finished so they can begin expansion and remodeling. He also reiterated WestCare’s commitment to adjacent property owners. “As long as they will come up there, we will continue to meet with them,” he said. Isley said a meeting with homeowners would be scheduled in July or August where a detailed timeline would be presented. He said construction would be designed to create as little inconvenience as possible. “Plateau Street will not be closed until the new Plateau Street is built,” Isley said. WestCare CEO Mark Leonard told commissioners that the expansion and new additions to Swain County Hospital would make it a model for small communities across the country that were struggling with providing adequate health care. Kirby said that $1.7 million of the estimated $2 million cost for the expansion had already been raised. The project includes a renovation of one of the hospitals old operating rooms and the construction of about 13,000 square feet of additional space. Part of that will likely be used by a new ob-gyn and a new orthopedist.