North Dakota has placed the final structural beam on its new State Hospital in Jamestown, moving the $300 million behavioral-health project from its structural phase toward enclosure, interior work and a planned early-2028 opening.
Gov. Kelly Armstrong joined state officials and construction partners Tuesday for a beam-signing ceremony at the site. The 140-bed facility is intended to replace an aging hospital complex and modernize inpatient psychiatric care, forensic services, rehabilitation and the state’s secure treatment program for people deemed sexually dangerous, according to the governor’s announcement. About 300 people work at the existing hospital.
The milestone means the primary load-bearing frame is substantially in place; it does not mean the hospital is nearly ready for patients. North Dakota Health and Human Services lists building enclosure work through spring 2027 and finishes through fall 2027. The agency’s schedule targets substantial completion in winter 2027, when furniture, medical equipment and other operating systems can begin moving into secured areas.
The new hospital will consolidate care in one modern building across from the current campus. It will have 140 beds, 19 more than the existing facility, and a footprint of roughly 295,000 to 316,000 square feet, depending on the project description used at different design stages. The present complex totals about 650,000 square feet across multiple buildings that state officials say no longer meet current standards for accessibility, safety or therapeutic design.
The state’s goals go beyond replacing worn infrastructure. Plans include private patient rooms, natural light, flexible therapy areas, secure treatment zones and energy-efficient systems. Specialized spaces are designed for psychiatric, occupational and physical therapies, while courtyards and rehabilitation amenities are meant to support recovery and prepare patients for community living.
The project also expands capacity only modestly, underscoring the hospital’s specialized role rather than turning it into a general substitute for community care. At the 2025 groundbreaking, hospital leaders said the facility would continue providing short-term psychiatric treatment, substance-use services, forensic care and secure evaluation. They described natural light and bringing staff from six buildings into one as practical improvements for patients and employees, according to the Monitor.
The Legislature approved the project after an earlier $330 million proposal was reduced to $300 million. Mortenson Construction is managing construction, while JLG Architects and Architecture+ worked with Tegra Group on design. State officials now must keep the enclosure and interior phases on schedule while recruiting and retaining the clinical workforce needed to operate the additional beds.
For North Dakotans, the beam placement is a visible construction benchmark, but the meaningful measure will come later: whether the completed hospital opens on time, safely transfers patients and staff, and improves the state’s ability to move people from secure inpatient treatment back into community-based care.
