After years of deferring investments, R.I.’s largest hospital owner is planning $3.5b in new improvements

After years of deferred infrastructure investments, Rhode Island’s largest hospitals’ owner and operator is planning to spend up to $3.5 billion on improvements over the next two decades, executives confirmed to the Globe on Thursday.  Lifespan Corporation, which is one of the state’s top employers and owns The Miriam, Hasbro Children’s, Bradley, Rhode Island and Newport hospitals, has not yet publicly released any construction plans. But Peter Markell, the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Lifespan Corporation, confirmed that projects could include reconfiguring campuses to replace century-old buildings and adding new inpatient facilities, among other projects.