BRADFORD Royal Infirmary's new £28 million wing is starting to take shape with the installation of its steel frames.

Work on fitting the 2,450 steel pieces - which would run to 6.4 miles if laid end-to-end and weigh 630 tonnes – has now started.

Work on the three-storey facility began in April and is due for completion in the autumn of next year.

Shane Embleton, who is Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ programme manager, said he was delighted with the rate of progress.

"The installation of the steel frame heralds the start of an important new phase of our build which aims to provide state-of-the-art healthcare for our city," Mr Embleton said.

“It’s hoped the work on the structure, including the floors, will be complete by the end of December when workers will then turn their attention to the external walls.”

The new hospital wing will house 104 beds spread across two elderly and two children’s wards.

There will also be a new 16-bed critical care unit which will have individual patient bedrooms on level one, along with a new retail concourse for visitors, patients and staff.

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Matthew Garnett, construction manager for developer BAM which is carrying out the work, said: “Construction is on schedule to be completed in the last quarter of 2016 and we are confident that we will meet the targets for job creation and local industry spending that we have set over the 18-month cycle of the project.

“So far we are installing on average 12-15 steel columns and beams every day and once the steel structure is in place, this will allow us to move on to finishing the exterior of the building and ensuring that it is water tight by the end of February 2016.”

Clive Kay, chief executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals, said: “The new BRI hospital wing is a significant investment for Bradford Teaching Hospitals and it will enable us to transform the way in which we care for patients.

“Having larger bed spaces and more single rooms for inpatients will provide greater privacy and dignity, ensuring that our patients will have a better experience of care.

“Our two children inpatient wards and two elderly wards will be located adjacent to each other on the same level for the first time and we hope that this will provide a more efficient environment for staff, patients and their families and carers.”