New York: Hochul Says Work is Underway on $1.7B Wadsworth Lab in Albany, Aiming to Strengthen Public Health Response

Albany, N.Y. — Construction is now underway on a new $1.7 billion public health laboratory for New York’s Wadsworth Center, a project Gov. Kathy Hochul says will strengthen the state’s ability to detect and respond to emerging health threats that can disrupt schools, workplaces, and family routines.

The state announced Jan. 26 that the new facility on the W. Averell Harriman Campus will consolidate five separate Wadsworth sites across the Greater Albany area into a single, modern laboratory expected to be completed in 2030. Officials also released new renderings of the building’s design.

Hochul called the project an investment in statewide readiness, while Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the lab is intended to keep New York at the forefront of disease surveillance and biomedical and environmental research.

Plans describe a five-story, roughly 663,000-square-foot facility designed by a Gilbane Building Co.-Turner Construction Co. joint venture, working with HOK. The state says the lab will house nearly 800 staff and emphasize energy efficiency and long-term flexibility.

For parents, the work is mostly long-range—but the programs based at Wadsworth can touch everyday life, including newborn screening for more than 210,000 babies a year, wastewater surveillance for emerging pathogens, and testing tied to drinking-water protections. Families can watch for updates as the project advances and keep using state and local health alerts for current guidance.

State officials say the Albany location is meant to strengthen collaboration with nearby University at Albany partners and other state labs.