Jefferson neighbors raise concerns over Ochsner hospital construction
JEFFERSON, La. (WGNO) — Some who live in Jefferson say the construction of Ochsner’s new children’s hospital will disrupt their neighborhood.
The Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital will be located next to the hospital’s main campus on Jefferson Highway.
“I walk my dogs down Betz Avenue up to the levee, to the river, let them run around and play in the river,” said Hilton Bond, who lives on Betz Avenue, the portion across the highway from the hospital. “When I was a kid, my grandfather walked me up to the levee.”
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Bond worries his walks to the river will soon be over once crews begin building the five-story, 343,000-square-foot facility.
“They plan on taking Betz Avenue from River Road to Jefferson Highway and eliminating it,” said Bond.
The construction plan also calls for a new parking garage and hotel, which, according to Bond, will exacerbate existing problems.
“Right now, when it rains, Ochsner Hospital is like a big cement slab, and all the rain floods into Jefferson Highway, and it floods into the neighborhoods around it,” explained Bond. “When they build this new hospital, new parking, and new hotel that they want to build, it’s going to be even more concrete.”
Ochsner has previously said, “The new facility will enable us to care for more children, retain and attract top physicians and care teams and continue to set the standard.”
Bond responds, “I think having a facility here is a great thing, but they have the land to do it already. They don’t need to take over Betz Avenue.”
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The Jefferson resident is hoping to deliver this message to Ochsner executives during a July 25 meeting of the Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board.
“Please don’t bully us. Don’t take this street away from us,” Bond said. “All the people in this neighborhood, it’s access to River Road, and the traffic’s bad enough.”
The hospital is expected to open in late 2027.
Ochsner has acknowledged WGNO’s request for comment, but we have not received an official response yet.
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