The University of Kentucky will open millions of dollars worth of facilities with upgrades in time for the fall semester.
Kevin Locke, associate vice president of planning, design and construction, said the total cost of ongoing construction and renovation on campus is $6.5 billion. However, $3.5 billion alone is the expansion of Albert B. Chandler Hospital, which will open 700 to 900 new beds starting in 2029.
The first to open is Scovell Hall, and UK hosted a grand opening Thursday.
The continuous campus construction comes as the university purchases more property in downtown Lexington and a development boom in private student housing has led to outcry from neighbors.
Locke said UK has about 40 to 50 capital projects in the works priced at at least $1 million and about 240 projects under that mark individually. He confirmed more are in the design phase.
“What I'm trying to do for the university, we're trying to make our facilities top notch, and so we are growing,” Locke said. “I like to think of it as benevolent growth. We're growing for a good purpose.”
Three major projects will wrap in time for students to return, and one is expected to be completed during the semester.
The now-open Scovell Hall houses the administrative offices of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food Science and Environment.
Locke said the original cost of the renovation was estimated to be $69 million, but it's coming in under budget at $60 million. It was funded by modernization money, or agency bonds designated for the project.
White Hall Classroom Building and a new residence hall are also expected to be ready for the start of classes Aug. 24. White Hall, with 46 classrooms, is a $83 million renovation, paid in part by the state.
“That's a huge transformation of a building that needed a major renovation, and it's for the students, so it's exciting what we've done to that building,” Locke said.
The new residence hall was an $80 million private-public partnership to provide 649 new on-campus beds.
Locke said the ongoing renovation of Johnson Student Recreation Center and its nearby parking garage are also expected to be finished before the end of the year. That project costs about $100 million.
The university has seen record enrollment recently, Locke said, even as institutions across the country face a “demographic cliff” from the reduced number of potential students due to the 2008 recession. He said part of what attracts students is facilities geared toward their needs and interests.
“Why is it happening now is because we're still trying to attract those students, make sure that we're attracting good quality students and getting them to come here and help us do all the things that we're trying to do,” Locke said.
Other construction projects underway on UK’s campus
Elsewhere around campus, the William T. Young Library has gotten a new roof, and crews are renovating the basement.
In early 2027, the Health Education Building is expected to open. It’s a $420 million project that will be the new home of the Colleges of Nursing, Public Health, Medicine and Health Sciences. Locke said the project received $250 million in bonds from the state.
“It's a pipeline building of sorts, because what you're doing is you're trying to get more nurses, more doctors, more health professionals to get into the profession,” Locke said.
The Agriculture Research Building is also expected to open early next year. It’s a roughly $300 million project rolled into an effort to replace buildings being demolished as a part of the Chandler Hospital expansion, including the Agricultural Science Center North and the W.P. Garrigus Building.
“All of those buildings within that block, just north of Cooper, between University and Limestone, all of those will start to come down to make way for the construction of the new Chandler expansion project and a new parking structure, as well as a new central utility plant that is primarily for that expansion,” Locke said.
Also underway is a $850 million Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Center to be home to the Markey Cancer Center.
There have also been renovations to the Charles E. Barnhart Building and work at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton.
Locke said future construction at UK depend on growth. The College of Engineering, the Gatton School for Business Economics and the College of Education all have projects in the pipeline.
UK is also working on a high-profile entertainment district near Kroger Field. The university is still crafting plans for the district.
