By By Dan Hounsell

As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) struggles under the weight of an aging stock of facilities and a maintenance backlog of $22 billion, department officials are weighing the costs and benefits of replacing some aging facilities instead of continuing to repair them. In one city, the VA’s plans for one such new facility have moved one step closer to reality.

A lawsuit that had pushed for officials to stop plans to build a new VA hospital in eastern Louisville was dismissed recently by a federal judge, clearing the way for its construction to begin, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The city of Crossgate in Jefferson County sued the VA in 2018 after plans to build the medical center were released, citing environmental concerns and increased traffic that would come to the already busy corridor. That lawsuit has been dismissed with prejudice by U.S. District Court Judge Claria Horn Boom. The new hospital would replace the 68-year-old Robley Rex VA Medical Center.

Kirk Hilbrecht, Crossgate's mayor and a veteran, said the plaintiffs are reviewing the ruling and are considering appeal options.