A 72-metre tower crane has gone up at John Hunter Hospital where construction on the campus' Innovation Precinct is underway.
The crane took two days to assemble and can load up to 12 tonnes across a 78-metre length. The assembly, which resulted in a tower that eclipses the hopsital in height, was captured on time-lapse footage this week as Hunter New England Health advised a second crane would be assembled on site in March to assist the buid.
The project is expected to deliver a new seven-storey acute services building that for a 60 per cent increase in intensive care unit capacity and almost 50 per cent more operating theatres, the local health district said in a statement Thursday.
The first concrete pour on the project is scheduled for this month, weather permitting.
"It's an exciting to see the site developing, and we thank the community and hospital staff for their patience and interest in the project," NSW Health director Amanda Bock said in the district's statement.
The project has been undertaken with state funding as part of a health infrastructure plan delivered over four years.
