Skanska completes Emergency Room Renovation and Expansion project at Jackson Health System in Miami

MIAMI, FL – Skanska USA, a leading construction and development firm, has successfully completed phase one of the $400 million multi-phase renovation and expansion of the emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital of Jackson Health System, one of the nation’s largest and most respected public healthcare networks, based in Miami, Florida. The newly opened emergency room at Jackson Memorial Hospital was built from the ground up, doubling its original footprint to significantly expand capacity and elevate the standard of patient care.

Designed by the award-winning global architecture firm HKS and built by Skanska, the more than 178,000-square-foot facility embodies innovation and expertise, establishing a new benchmark for emergency medical care. The project involved demolishing two existing buildings to create space for the expanded facility, paving the way for one of the nation’s most advanced adult emergency care centers.

“As a leader in healthcare construction in Florida, Skanska is proud to continue its long-standing partnership with Jackson Health System through the successful completion of phase one of this transformative project at Jackson Memorial Hospital,” said Tracy Hunt, executive vice president and general manager for Skanska’s Florida building operations. “The expanded emergency room marks a vital step in meeting the growing healthcare needs of the Miami community and will have a lasting impact on the patients and families who rely on Jackson for life-saving and world-class care.”

Phase one of the new emergency room delivers faster, smarter care with 60 general exam rooms and four resuscitation rooms to strengthen lifesaving capabilities, six triage and 12 fast‑track rooms designed to reduce wait times, and a dedicated second floor for patient care featuring 50 observation rooms and seven acute care rooms.

The expanded space and reconfigured layout are designed to improve efficiency and accelerate patient response times. Patients now have access to streamlined services, including a full radiology suite, featuring MRI, CT, X-ray, and ultrasound capabilities, conveniently located within the emergency room, as well as an on-site pharmacy for immediate delivery of critical medications.

Construction also involved relocating and installing underground utilities to support the new, larger medical facility. Phase two of the project will continue to expand the existing 45,000-square-foot emergency room, with 121 adult emergency rooms, dedicated behavioral health bays, and 30 pediatric emergency rooms. Renovations are underway and scheduled for completion in 2027, marking a major milestone in the multi-phase expansion of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s emergency care services. And finally, phase three will expand the emergency room even further, adding in a third floor with additional clinical space, and a helipad, in addition to the helipad at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial, for rapid transfers and life-saving arrivals.

With a trajectory building transformative and innovative healthcare projects across Florida, Skanska also delivered the Jackson Project D - Floor Modernizations project at Jackson in 2019. Additionally, the construction company previously completed the state-of-the-art medical facility Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in Downtown Orlando; the expansion and renovation of the Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers; and the renovation of the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, formerly known as Salah Foundation Children's Hospital, at Broward Health.

Photo credit: Tom Harris Photography