Hospital’s building costs are soaring

Construction costs for the massive complex at County-USC Medical Center have spiraled to nearly $900 million, gradually adding more than $80 million to original budget estimates, with county supervisors Tuesday questioning the latest portion of the ballooning expense.

In response to the cost hike, supervisors approved spending an extra $18 million on the hospital building project Tuesday, to cover alterations or correct errors in the original construction plan. The changes, which have included such items as reinforcing retaining walls or renumbering patient rooms, could mount to $110 million, or about 22% of construction costs of about $500 million.

The rest of the funding has paid for medical equipment, land acquisition, building permits and other non-construction expenses, said David Howard, assistant deputy director of the county Department of Public Works.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky complained that county officials had obscured the full expense of the project “to not give us sticker shock.” He expressed unhappiness that the county had paid millions of dollars extra to fix problems with the hospital’s plumbing and ventilation systems, which Howard said were caused by contractors’ errors.

But Public Works officials said the cost of the 1.5 million-square-foot hospital complex compares favorably with other major construction projects in the region. Department officials attributed much of the additional expense to increases in the cost of construction materials, such as copper.

County supervisors originally approved building a 600-bed facility in 1998 to replace the Depression-era building east of downtown, Howard said. Because the hospital was damaged in the Northridge earthquake, the federal government is kicking in more than $400 million toward rebuilding.

Construction on the complex, launched in 2002, is about a year behind schedule because of heavy rains a few years ago and other factors, Howard said. The building is now scheduled to be finished in December, said county Chief Executive William T Fujioka. The hospital should begin operation next spring.

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susannah.rosenblatt@latimes.com