Ohio State halted construction of its new inpatient hospital after engineers found cracks in a beam Monday. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Ohio State paused construction of its new $1.9 billion inpatient hospital within the Wexner Medical Center after engineers found cracks in a column Monday.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement the structural engineer found a compression issue on one of the concrete columns, which “is isolated and localized” to that single column. Johnson said there are more than 150 concrete or steel columns in the building.
Johnson said the issue will be remedied, and full construction work will pause until Monday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email the building will remain open but the area impacted will “remain a controlled access zone until all repair work is completed.” Hedman said the column’s repair is expected to be completed this week.
“Safety remains our top priority and the university is working closely with the contractor, architect and engineers to monitor the building while immediate repairs are made,” Johnson said.
The inpatient hospital, which will be 1.9 million square feet, is part of Ohio State’s Framework 2.0 project and is scheduled to open in 2026.
The medical center postponed its topping out ceremony — “the installation of the final structural beams on the new inpatient hospital” — originally scheduled for Tuesday due to the cracks, according to a press release Monday.
Katherine Simon contributed reporting.
This story was updated 4:20 p.m. Sunday to include a timeline for construction to resume.
