BJC Healthcare is moving ahead with plans to replace Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital in St. Louis. After nearly two years of planning, the design of the new hospital is complete, and contractors will break ground first quarter 2017.

The new facility will feature 64 private patient rooms, four intensive care unit rooms and 14 operating rooms, with room for future expansion to 100 inpatient rooms and 16 operating rooms. An adjoining 100,000-square-foot medical office building will also be built.

The new hospital will offer low acuity, short-stay surgical and medical services, including colorectal, gastroenterology, joint reconstruction/ replacement, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, plastics, spine, thoracic, urology and vascular surgery.

Other features of the new hospital will include a new emergency department.

The project will open in the first quarter of 2019.