TTUHSC El Paso ready to build new medical facility

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is celebrating Tuesday with a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest building.

Construction will soon begin on the Medical Sciences Building II, located between Albert and Alameda Avenues in south-central El Paso. The $83 million building will be about 220,000 square feet.

TTUHSC President, Dr. Richard Lange talked to ABC-7 about the impact of the new facility.

“We hope to have the whole thing completed in about two years, so that’s pretty quick for a building of this size,” Dr. Lange said.

The building is expected to meet the needs of the rapidly growing El Paso campus, including additional labs and educational spaces.

He added that a large portion of the building will be dedicated to science and will allow TTUHSC to recruit new scientists in the area and increase the number of students at the school’s programs.

Lange said increased enrollment will help keep health professionals, who already know the area, here in the Borderland. In return, it will improve health care in the region.

“It’s important because it allows us to increase research, in particular to target research problems that afflict individuals in our area like diabetes and cancer,” Lange said.

Crews have already cleared the property to begin work. Texas Tech had to use eminent domain to acquire some of the land.

Officials says the development will bring new jobs, from construction to building maintenance to faculty.

In 2015, the 84th Texas Legislature appropriated $75 million for the construction of the building through tuition revenue bonds.

TTUHSC El Paso will contribute an additional $8 million.

The facility is expected to be complete in about two years.