DENVER (AP) - It's more than $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, but an elaborate new veterans hospital is finally opening in suburban Denver with the promise of state-of-the-art medical care.
The Veterans Affairs Department plans a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora.
The $1.7 billion hospital made it through nearly a decade of management blunders, legal battles, federal investigations and angry congressional hearings.
Veterans say they're frustrated by the slow and tortuous path the VA followed but relieved the hospital is finally done.
It replaces an aging and crowded hospital in Denver. But some services will still be offered there after they were left out of the new facility when spending soared out of control.
Republican Congressman Mike Coffman is in town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He sat down with Marshall Zelinger on Friday to discuss why the VA will continue to use the old facility. You can watch the full interview below:
