Cape Fear Valley construction will affect parking, traffic flow

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Construction work around Cape Fear Valley Medical Center could create some traffic and parking inconveniences.

A new Center for Graduate Medical Education and Research is being built adjacent to Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment and CyberKnife Center.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center will close its driveway on the Melrose Road side of campus and parking area on November 1 to accommodate new construction on campus.

"We're going to close one of the entrances and parking lots here. We're going to make it very easy on our patients and visitors so they'll park in the parking deck," said Brian Pearce.

Pearce said you may also get your exercise.

"We actually had people do walking studies to make sure that it wouldn't be much further in any direction," he said.

The Center for Graduate Medical Education and Research will span five floors and accommodate more than 300 physician residents when complete. Cape Fear Valley's residency program trains 105 a year. That number will double within a decade.

A 500-seat auditorium will anchor the center's first floor and include a food court. The second floor will contain staff and faculty offices. The third floor will house simulation labs, study spaces and lockers for physician residents. The fourth floor will be shelled out for future growth. Cape Fear Valley's Neuroscience Institute will occupy one-half of the top floor.

The project comes at a price tag of $30 million and perhaps a minor inconvenience but hospital staff said it's worth it.

"A little bit of inconvenience but just understand this is really putting research and education for our physician community in the future," Pearce said.