After years of waiting, construction is set to begin on a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

Officials were on hand in Grimsby Saturday to break ground on the long-awaited project.

"Our community has reached a significant milestone today; a moment when we know for certain that our new hospital will be built to serve this community for many generations to come," Kevin Antonides and Pamela Ellens with the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital Foundation stated in a media release.

Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff announced the provincial government has approved the start of construction. EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare has been awarded the $224 million contract to design and build the new health-care site.

The hospital has served the area for 70 years. It provides both inpatient and outpatient services, provides surgery and newborn care and treats emergency and palliative patients.

The new location will offer twice the current operating room capacity and 100 per cent single patient rooms, according to Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS).

"The pandemic has shone a bright light on the need for continued investment in modern health care facilities designed to meet the highest standards of safety and enable health care workers to provide the most exceptional experience possible for patients and families," stated HHS President Rob MacIsaac in the release.

Oosterhoff said he had been advocating for the hospital since he was elected in 2016 and was "excited" to see the project begin.

Premier Doug Ford stated that after "decades of inaction" from other governments, he wanted to make sure the community could access the care they need.

"On behalf of the Town of Lincoln, Town of Grimsby, and the Township of West Lincoln, we are very pleased to see the construction of new hospital that will benefit the residents of all three of our communities," said Town of Lincoln Mayor, Sandra Easton.

"Each municipality is pleased to contribute to this very important project as timely access to critical care and clinical services is an important component to creating a complete community."

The Ministry of Health is funding roughly 90 per cent of the building costs while the remaining 10 per cent, furniture, fixture and equipment costs will be covered by a local campaign set at $50 million.

The new facility will be built behind the existing hospital, meaning it can stay open while construction is underway.