Construction has begun on a four-story vertical tower expansion at Cullman Regional Medical Center, part of the $30 million project that will increase the hospital's bed capacity from 145 to 175 and double the size of the hospital's critical care unit.

The workhorse of the tower expansion is a 130-foot ballasted tower crane used to place the steel foundation and framing to extend the hospital's west bed tower by 84 feet, which will enable the hospital to add 13 new critical care and 12 medical/surgical patient rooms. The tower expansion also includes previously completed renovations to existing spaces which created five additional beds for a total of 30 new beds.

Construction will also be completed the hospital's emergency department this summer. The project will feature a larger, more modern patient lobby and increase ED capacity by 80 percent.