work on university of new mexico hospital still more than a year off

Plans are now progressing for the construction of a multi-story tower that will be a part of the expansive University of New Mexico Health Science campus.

The project will go up on a 6.5-acre site near the northeast corner of Lomas Boulevard and Yale Boulevard, and will, upon completion, have enough space for just under 100 beds, an intensive care unit with space for 24 beds, and an adult emergency department housing another 50 beds.

Included in the project is the demolition of an existing 500-space garage to make way for the construction of a parking garage with enough space for 2,400 vehicles.

More than a decade in the planning and talking stage, it is thought that the project’s first phase construction will cost at least $385 million.

Earlier this year, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham approved $30 million in state funding, as a part of a larger capital outlay legislation, for the construction of the facility.

HDR Architects of Omaha and the Albuquerque-based FBT Architects have already done preliminary work on the project.

If all goes as expected, work on the project’s first phase will begin sometime in 2021, starting with the demolition of the current garage. The actual construction of the tower will most likely launch shortly afterwards with an anticipated fall 2024 completion date.

By Garry Boulard

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