Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network broke ground on a new $70-million rehabilitation hospital at 3350 Center Valley Parkway, Upper Saucon Township.

The hospital will be a four-story, 76-bed facility that is expected to employ more than 300 people. The beds will be private, according to information provided by Good Shepherd.

Construction on Good Shepherd’s new rehabilitation hospital is scheduled to begin later this year. Officials did not offer an estimated date of completion for the project.

The 123,000-square-foot building is on a 45-acre site across from The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

Corn stalk stubble had been scrapped away and an open-sided tent was erected for the Sept. 22 ground-breaking ceremony. New shovels were at the ready. Folding chairs were set out for attendees with reserved seats for dignitaries.

A huge yellow-tracked backhoe provide a backdrop. Caterers passed out snacks and provided water. Wine was stocked for post-ceremony toasting.

“Today marks the start of a transformational event for Good Shepherd and a special moment for the greater Lehigh Valley,” said Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network President and CEO Michael Spigel.

Spigel said the new facility will be the only hospital in the area “focused solely on rehabilitation.”

It will have the space to “develop and accelerate ideas, create new therapeutic interventions, develop innovative rehabilitative and assistive devices, and introduce new independence solutions to our patients and community members.”

A dramatic highlight at the ceremony was provided by Good Shepherd spinal cord injury patient Ruth Aragon, who is mobility-constrained. Strapped into an exoskeleton and, with the robotic machine’s assistance, she walked along a raised platform to the speaker’s microphone.

The new hospital will feature “The Experience Center” and outdoor therapy and activity gardens.

The Experience Center will offer disabled people and others “with mobility challenges an environment to explore the latest advancements such as 3-D printing, robotics, wearables, artificial intelligence and smart home and personal assistance devices.

Moravian University has, according to information provided, entered a partnership with Good Shepherd to create the Good Shepherd-Moravian University 3-D Experience in the new hospital.

“Moravian University rehabilitation science people will come here to do research and hands-on learning,” said Jennifer Pagliaroli, Moravian University Associate Director of Enrollment Communications.

FCA (Francis Cauffman Architects) of Philadelphia is project architect. IMC Construction of Malvern is the construction company. KRN Development of Memphis, Tenn., is project manager. Pennoni of Philadelphia is engineering consultant.