Parents in Montgomery County and surrounding counties can look forward a shorter commute for specialized care at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Texas Children’s Hospital broke ground Friday, just south of St. Luke’s Hospital in The Woodlands, on a 548,000-square-foot facility designed to serve children and families, offering inpatient and outpatient specialty pediatric care. The hospital is expected to be completed in 2017.

Texas Children’s Hospital also is celebrating its 60th birthday this year; and former patients Bennett Rhymes, 10, of The Woodlands, Taylor Cox, 5, of Conroe, Ryan Lively, 10, of The Woodlands, Will Herndon, 10, of The Woodlands, and Riley Kikuchi, 5, of Spring, were in attendance to celebrate and blow out candles on a large birthday cake in the design of the future hospital. click here for complete story and photos