Alabama Breaks Ground On $66 Million Psych Hospital

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Officials in Alabama broke ground on a new 268-bed psychiatric hospital to replace the old Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa. The cost of the new Bryce facility is estimated to be between $60 million and $80 million.

 

The University of Alabama, which has significant experience in construction management, will oversee the construction of the new state mental hospital before turning the facility back over to the mental health agency after its completion in 2013.

 

The university paid a reported $78 million for Bryce’s 180-acre campus and has committed to put another $10 million into the grounds. The psychiatric facility will be constructed on the southern portion of U of A’s nearby Partlow campus. University officials plan to use the adjoining land for future expansion and to preserve at least part of the historic structure.