Strengthening Resiliency: ESA South to Deliver Major Electrical Upgrades at Bayne Jones Army Community Hospital

ESA South is proud to announce a new project award from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to execute critical electrical infrastructure upgrades at Bayne Jones Army Community Hospital in Fort Polk (formerly Fort Johnson), Louisiana. The project scope involves the repair and replacement of primary switchgear, medium voltage feeders, and substations A–E, along with an electrical load study and maintenance on numerous automatic transfer switches. Because this work takes place in active medical spaces, the project demands precise phasing, extensive outage coordination, and close collaboration with hospital staff to ensure uninterrupted care delivery.

The scope also requires temporary switchgear and feeders to maintain redundancy and ensure mission-critical systems remain online. ESA South will be responsible for developing an Electrical Outage Plan and Phasing Plan in compliance with UFC, NEC, NFPA, and all applicable codes. This comprehensive effort underscores ESA’s expertise in planning and executing technically demanding work in highly sensitive, 24/7 healthcare environments.

ESA South brings over 25 years of federal construction experience, with safety, quality, and technical rigor at the core of our approach. All ESA Project Managers and Superintendents hold OSHA 30 certifications, and our corporate Safety Officer holds OSHA 500 and EM 385-1-1 credentials. Every quality control manager and project manager is certified in USACE Construction Quality Management, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to exacting specifications. Our personnel also maintain AT-Level 1, OPSEC, and VA Privacy and Information Security certifications, reinforcing our commitment to operational security.

This project builds directly on ESA’s role as prime contractor for the $13.8M Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) Infrastructure Upgrade project at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. That project required the replacement of major power distribution equipment, integration of emergency power systems, installation of PDUs and UPS units, and execution of complex phasing strategies across six operational hospital buildings. ESA developed detailed outage coordination plans, installed temporary power, and conducted load studies to minimize disruption—experience that directly parallels the requirements at Fort Johnson.

We are proud to deliver this project in collaboration with a highly qualified team of design partners: SLA Architects (Designer of Record/Architectural & Structural Engineering) and Cyntergy AEC (Electrical Engineering). Together, this team will deliver a safe, sustainable, and resilient electrical infrastructure solution to support the mission of Bayne Jones Army Community Hospital.

With this award, ESA South continues its mission of delivering high-quality solutions in support of the military community and the agencies that serve them.