Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
One of the big Asheville construction projects primed and ready to begin is Mission Hospital’s plan to rework busy Victoria Road, build a new section of road (Doctor’s Drive) that will offer a new connection between McDowell and Biltmore avenues, and construct a major new cancer center. The animated gif from the hospital’s web site gives you a good snapshot of the road work and cancer center construction. This cancer center will offer many services that others do all around the world such as radiation therapy and more.
We’re talking about a $59 million cancer center, and the road work I’ve heard is estimated at something like $10 million.
I don’t have all the details about the project, but there was some action at Asheville City Council concerning adjacent road closures. You can read about the road closures by downloading this pdf.
Here’s more from Mission:
The 120,000 square foot facility would house outpatient services including Radiation Oncology, Cyberknife Radiosurgery, the Kay Finger Breast Program, The Zeis Children’s Cancer Center, Infusion Services, the survivorship program, and multi-disciplinary clinics providing people with particular types of cancer with a coordinated treatment plan, education, and psycho-social support services.
The center will also provide physician offices as well as increased space for research and specialized treatments that the recently announced UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliation will bring to Asheville. “The goal of this new center is to centralize services into a comprehensive building that will provide our patients and their families convenient access to state-of-the-art, coordinated and compassionate cancer care,” said Joseph F. Damore, FACHE, President and CEO of Mission Health System Inc. and Mission Hospital.
The projected cost of the center is $59 million. It will be financed through a combination of gifts through the Mission Healthcare Foundation, debt financing and capital reserves.
Before work can begin, the Mission Healthcare Foundation has been asked by the Hospital to conduct a community-wide capital campaign to assist in financing the building. “Cancer rates are escalating in Western North Carolina and it is important to bring this facility to reality as quickly as we can,” said Bruce D. Thorsen, president of the Foundation. “Engaging our community in the development of this new center will insure that state-of-the-art treatment is available close to home for all families in Western North Carolina .”
A date for groundbreaking will be set when financing for the facility is in place. Completion of the cancer center is projected for early 2012.
Maybe we can get that tunnel cleaned up in the process. Lights, decent sidewalks, trim back the weeds.
I’m seeing TWO new traffic lights in that final .gif slide. One on McDowell and the other new one between Mission and the new oncology center. Wow. AB Tech, Asheville High, a double hospital campus, hundreds of doctors offices, the parking tower. Add a new connection between the two thoroughfares that connect Biltmore Village and downtown and a couple of traffic lights, you got yourself a Situation. (Capitalization intended.)
I beleive the new street name is Hospital Dr (not doctor dr). The proposed new street will connect existing Biltmore Ave and McDowell St. It creates a new intersection with a re-aligned Victoria Rd. Significant earth removal will be necessary to bring Hospital Dr down to the McDowell St grade. The new street configuration should improve vehicular traffic considerably. Not sure how pedestrians will fare. Appears pedestrians may have to cross six lanes of traffic in some locations.