A nearly $50 million expansion of Lawrence Memorial Hospital is slightly ahead of schedule.

LMH leaders told city commissioners at a joint study session Thursday that a new emergency room should open by mid-February.

The entire expansion – which also will include new operating rooms, new birthing rooms, an expanded intensive care unit, and conversion of shared patient rooms into private rooms – should be wrapped up by January 2009.

That’s two months ahead of schedule, said Gene Meyer, president and CEO of the hospital.

“And the best news is that the road construction is behind us,” Meyer said of improvements to the streets around the hospital. “People are able to easily get to the hospital, and that is very good news.”

Commissioners also quizzed Meyer on how the hospital plans to deal with future parking issues at the campus, which is at Fourth and Maine streets.

Meyer said the hospital’s master plan called for a one-deck parking structure on the west side of the hospital that could accommodate another 120 vehicles.

City Commissioner Boog Highberger said he would prefer that option over LMH buying adjacent houses and converting those properties into surface parking lots.

Meyer said the hospital previously has purchased properties in the neighborhood, but he doesn’t envision converting them into parking in the foreseeable future.

He also said the deck option wasn’t likely in the near term either. He said the recent parking lot improvements made by LMH were meeting demand nicely.

Commissioners meet at least once a year with the hospital’s board of trustees.

The trustees are appointed by the City Commission to serve as the operating board of the nonprofit hospital.