Largest Construction Project in DASNY History
It will Consolidate Five Department of Health Laboratory Sites and Bring Nearly 800 Employees Under One Roof
October 13, 2026 – Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the topping out of the new $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Laboratory at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus in Albany, marking a major construction milestone as the final structural steel beam was raised into place on the main laboratory building
The five-story, 663,000-square-foot facility is the largest construction project in the history of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY). The new laboratory will consolidate five New York State Department of Health sites across the Capital Region and bring nearly 800 Wadsworth Center employees together under one roof, strengthening New York’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to emerging public health threats.
“The new Wadsworth Center Laboratory represents an extraordinary investment in New York’s public health infrastructure and in the scientists and professionals who work every day to keep New Yorkers safe,” Governor Hochul said. “Reaching this milestone brings us another step closer to a modern, world-class laboratory that will strengthen our ability to prepare for emerging threats, advance groundbreaking research and protect public health for generations to come. I thank the hundreds of skilled workers and project partners whose work is bringing this important facility to life.”
Construction remains on schedule and on budget. The main laboratory building’s steel frame includes more than 8,200 major pieces of structural steel totaling approximately 5,545 tons. More than 200 skilled tradespeople are working on the project each day, with roughly 40 contractor businesses represented onsite.
Workers, project partners and state and local officials signed the final beam before it was lifted into place during the topping out ceremony. The milestone marks completion of the main laboratory building’s structural steel frame and the transition toward the next major phases of construction.
Posted: October 14th, 2026 under Education News, General News, Heathcare News, National History, National News, State Government News.