Hospital expansion project starts in Needham

Suffolk Construction said it has begun work on a $30-million expansion of the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.

Plans call for the construction of a two-story addition of 44,000 square feet to the hospital, Boston-based Suffolk said.

When the project is completed, something scheduled to happen in the fall of 2009, the hospital will have a new emergency room, a state-of-the-art MRI suite, and 24 additional in-patient beds, Suffolk said; the hospital currently has 41 beds.

The project also calls for renovations to the existing hospital and the creation of a new front entrance, said Suffolk, which added that it is working on the project with Steffian Bradley Architects, a firm with offices in Boston.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)