MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE - More than a dozen construction projects are under way or on the drawing board at this 67-year-old military installation.

The projects total $809 million, though not all the work has been funded.

Robert B. Hughes, director of the 6th Civil Engineers Squadron, said the work is needed to replace 1950s buildings and temporary trailers, which no longer meet MacDill's needs.

"It is one of the largest base expansions in the country," he said.

About 12,000 military personnel and 1,300 civilians are assigned to the 5,000-acre base.

Construction began last year and is expected to continue through 2011.

Among the projects under construction are a 268,000-square-foot Joint Intelligence Center, a 254,000-square-foot clinic and a 7,297-square-foot pharmacy expansion.

The clinic is replacing the base's 1956 hospital.

"MacDill is not the only base that is downsizing its hospital to a clinic operation," facility manager Al Martin said in a statement. "In the future patient's access will be improved ... and all medical functions will be consolidated under one roof."

Workers are building an 80-room dormitory for $11 million; the 31,600-square-foot dorm will house new airmen.

With its $154 million price tag, the construction of 331 family housing units is the most expensive component. The work includes demolishing 512 ground-level units near the shores of Hillsborough Bay.

The new housing will be 11 feet above sea level to protect against storm surge, similar to the 240 units constructed since 2000.

Nearly all of MacDill is in a federal flood zone.

"We have to deal with flooding concerns," Hughes said. "That's just factored into the cost of doing business at MacDill."

The base is going green with $12 million in energy-saving projects ranging from replacing light bulb fixtures to air-conditioning systems.

Work also includes $12 million in environmental cleanup, such as the removal of a small arms firing range and underground storage tanks.

All of the projects are bid through the Army Corps of Engineers. Most of the major contractors are Florida companies, Hughes said.

Construction materials and hundreds of workers a day enter MacDill through the Port Tampa gate on the base's northwest side.

"It is going to have some impact on parking and traffic flow," Hughes said. "It hasn't disrupted any mission operations."

Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or mholan@tampatrib.com.