The University of Texas System Board of Regents announced plans on Monday to build new medical facilities on the site of the former Frank Erwin Center.
In partnership with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, the university system will expand UT Austin’s medical footprint by building two new hospital towers for the upcoming UT Austin Medical Center, according to a press release. One of the towers will house a UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. The other tower will serve as a UT-Austin hospital.
“The establishment of the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center adjacent to a new University hospital and access to all of UT Austin’s education and research assets, will undoubtedly result in transformative cancer care, provide students at the flagship campus with unmatched experiences, and benefit patients throughout the state and nation for all time,” said the board’s chairman, Kevin P. Eltife, per the press release.
MD Anderson was recently ranked the No.1 cancer care center in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 “Best Hospitals” survey.
The Frank Erwin Center, formerly the home to the Longhorn basketball teams, will be torn down to make room for the new hospital towers.
“The State of Texas has been on a mission to use higher education to expand access to healthcare, and today marks a giant step towards achieving our goals,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in the press release. “UT MD Anderson Cancer Center is ranked No.1 for cancer care in America, with people across the world traveling to Houston to access care. But rather than having Texans travel to MD Anderson in Houston, we will now bring the world’s best treatment to them.”
“Families across Central Texas who are affected by cancer every year can now stay close to home for that care. The key to building sustainable communities is a healthcare infrastructure that can meet the needs of a booming population,” Abbott added. “UT Austin and MD Anderson will help us meet those needs. The Texas of tomorrow will be shaped by what UT Austin and MD Anderson are building here today.”
According to the press release, UT Austin and UT MD Anderson conducted $1.8 billion in research last year. UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said the plans “will support an extraordinary expansion of the UT System’s education, health care, and research missions to serve Texas.”
“As one of the nation’s largest comprehensive university systems, the UT System has fostered numerous collaborative opportunities across our institutions, and this latest one will include a relationship between UT Austin and UT MD Anderson that is an extraordinary demonstration of how this kind of synergy can positively and dramatically impact the lives of Texans,” Milliken said.
The UT System expects the project will cost taxpayers $2.5 billion. Groundbreaking will occur in 2026.