A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday on the Riverside Walter Reed Hospital campus in Gloucester for a $44.5 million construction and renovation project.  

The multi-phase project includes some work that has been recently completed as well as other substantial improvements that are expected to be finished over the next couple of years, according to Megan K. Crain, vice president and administrator of RWRH.

A major component is a 65,000-square-foot surgical center. The center will be built adjacent to the north side of the Medical Arts Building.

The new two-story building will house all surgical services including four state-of-the-art operating suites, according to a hospital brochure. In addition, the facility will have pre- and post-operative recovery areas, along with 36 private patient rooms located on the second floor. Crain said the new center is expected to open in July 2018.

Another big change will be an expanded Emergency Department, which Crain said ...