New $370M State Emergency Operations Center to be built near Austin airport

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Construction on a $370 million State Emergency Operations Center near the Austin Bergstrom International Airport was approved Thursday by the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Board of Regents.

The center will also serve as agency headquarters for the Texas Division of Emergency Management, according to the board.

Of the $370 million, $9.7 million will go toward land acquisition, and the remaining will help build the 295,978-square-foot facility.

TAMUS said the current State Operations Center in Austin was built in the 1950s and was no longer suitable to support the state’s emergency response operations.

Construction will begin this month and is expected to be completed in August 2026, according to TAMUS.

“With this investment by the Legislature and the support of the Governor and Board of Regents, Texas will increase its capabilities to better prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate against any disaster we face,” said Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd.