Groundbreaking ceremony planned Sept. 15 for UAMS facility in Springdale

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will host a groundbreaking ceremony next month for a 185,000-square-foot orthopedic and sports medicine facility in Springdale.

Andrea Peel, associate vice chancellor for communications and marketing at UAMS, said dirt work has commenced at the site south of Arkansas Children’s Northwest, west of Interstate 49. A groundbreaking ceremony to formally mark the construction start is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 15, beginning at 2 p.m.

Peel said the expected completion timeframe is early fall 2025.

In late 2021, the University of Arkansas paid $13.58 million for 31.2 acres at the southeast corner of Watkins Avenue and Gene George Boulevard.

The UA System board of trustees approved the project in March 2021. That same month, UAMS was also announced as the new sports medicine provider for the University of Arkansas athletics department.

Later that year, the board approved a $109.6 million bond issue to cover the project cost. The UA paid $13.58 million in late 2021 for 31.2 acres at the southeast corner of Watkins Avenue and Gene George Boulevard.

Nabholz Construction is the general contractor for the two-story, 185,000-square-foot facility. Marlon Blackwell Architects and DSC Architects are leading the building’s design.

The building will be the latest addition to an area the Springdale Chamber of Commerce has dubbed the Springdale Care Corridor. It’s a four-mile stretch of I-49 that includes a dozen healthcare providers.

“As Northwest Arkansas’ healthcare economy continues to grow, our city and the Springdale Care Corridor is becoming synonymous with high-quality patient treatment,” chamber president Bill Rogers said. “What UAMS has planned for its Springdale Complex has the potential to be impactive on an international scale. Our city and our region will benefit greatly from UAMS’ commitment to Northwest Arkansas.”

Headquartered in Little Rock, UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic medical center. It established a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in 2007 in the former 323,510-square-foot Washington Regional Medical Center on College Avenue in Fayetteville.

UAMS also plans a feasibility study for additional operations on 48 acres west of Interstate 49 near the Pleasant Grove Road exit in Rogers. UAMS acquired the land in 2021.