New Facility Brings Outpatient Cancer Care to Northeast Texas

Construction is complete of the Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute in Tyler, Texas. A Cottonwood Development project, the 85,000-square-foot research facility is located on the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances – Tyler campus and will provide outpatient care to surrounding communities. The project team includes McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., Harris Craig Architects and Corgan.

The Northeast Texas Cancer and Research Institute consists of specialized areas for Texas Oncology, Tyler’s largest oncology provider, including 34,500 square feet of clinic space for medical, radiation and gynecologic oncology services. Nearly 3,000 square feet is dedicated to research facilities, including three linear accelerators for radiation therapy, 52 chemotherapy infusion stations — with six allotted to research — and four private rooms. The facility also contains pharmacy and lab services, as well as a patient exercise area. A 620-car six-story parking garage was also constructed.

CHRISTUS Health features a 7,500-square-foot advanced imaging center. An additional 10,000 square feet of clinic space supports the surgical oncology programs of Louise Herrington Cancer Center, an inpatient facility located within The Bradley-Thompson Tower on the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances – Tyler campus, providing advanced, inpatient care for complex cancer patients.

McCarthy had two mass concrete placements in August 2021 for the project, totaling over 2,200 cubic yards of concrete for the linear accelerator vaults, which feature 6-foot-thick walls and a 6-foot-thick lid, constructed of high-density concrete. Adhering to mass concrete principles, this required the use of liquid nitrogen in the concrete mix. These vault walls were poured monolithically in a continuous pour in order not to have any joints for radiation to leak through. Faced with a construction timeline amidst soaring Texas summer temperatures, McCarthy replaced all the water in the concrete mixers with ice to bring the temperature of the concrete down below 75 F at point of placement.