Traffic alert: Construction on new UK cancer center will close roads starting in April
Construction of the new University of Kentucky cancer center will close several roads around UK HealthCare facilities while roadwork and utility work begins.
The new cancer and advanced ambulatory complex, planned for South Limestone south of Shriner Children’s Lexington, is set to be completed in 2027. Construction site preparation will start in March. Before construction can begin, there will be major roadwork and utility work in the area.
As part of the construction, beginning in April:
Elizabeth Street will close to through traffic
State Street and University Avenue will close from Elizabeth Street to South Limestone. A portion of State Street will remain open for access to Shriner Hospital.
The site will be fenced, prohibiting pedestrian traffic.
Once complete, the reconfiguration of Elizabeth Street will provide a better flow of traffic for the cancer center, UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital Parking Garage and a new parking structure. When Elizabeth Street construction is complete, it will be a four-lane road, plus a turn lane from Waller Avenue to Transcript Avenue, as well as two lanes from Transcript Avenue to Virginia Avenue.
The cancer care complex will be over 550,000 square feet, with an estimated cost of over $700 million. It will include “cutting-edge” treatment and technology options for patients. A new parking structure will add 2,400 parking spaces in the area.
“In a state that still holds the highest overall incidence and death rates for cancer, it’s imperative that we expand our physical footprint to keep up with the growing demand for our services,” said B. Mark Evers, M.D., director of the UK Markey Cancer Center. “This state-of-the-art new facility will help us gain ground on our goal to conquer cancer in the Commonwealth.”
The center will also include a comprehensive spine care center, which will offer services to diagnose, treat and prevent spinal conditions, as well as a floor dedicated to ambulatory surgery space, with eight operating rooms.
Last September, the Markey Cancer Center received the top designation from the National Cancer Institute, and was named a Comprehensive Cancer Institute. Markey Cancer Center was first designated as a NCI center in 2013. There are 72 NCI-designated cancer centers in the country, and 56 comprehensive cancer centers, according to NCI.
UK’s board of trustees approved construction of the new cancer center in December 2022. A $10 million donation from Central Bank will help fund the center.