Lowell High School Renovation Runs $36M Over Budget

New numbers from Lowell High School's rebuild and renovations are finally revealing how much the project is over budget.

The (Lowell) Sun reported that the work is currently $36 million over budget due to “unforeseen” construction issues with the Phase 3 portion of the project.

The $418 million project, designed by the architectural firm of Perkins Eastman, is being built by Suffolk Construction. It is overseen by Skanska, the owner's project manager, who represents the city's interests.

According to The Sun, Suffolk Construction Senior Project Manager Kyle Regis told the School Building Committee at a Thursday, April 2, meeting that faulty steel beams discovered in the 1892 Coburn Hall will be removed and not replaced. 

“Steel channels were attached to the sides of the timbers, and those channels needed to be attached to the foundation to provide additional support,” said Skanska Project Director Kevin Kane. “That is the work that wasn't done.”

In light of the discovery, the project team decided that, rather than connecting the steel beams to adjacent columns, which could have been an expensive and time-intensive repair, they would remove them to open up space in the building.

The estimated cost of the structural remediation work for Coburn Hall is $350,000. A project description was presented to the Lowell City Council on Tuesday, April 7.

According to The Sun, the four-phase high school project began in 2020 with the demolition of an old dentists' office at Arcand Drive. That site turned into the Phase 1 construction of the new Riddick Athletic Center, which opened in 2022.

Phases 1 and 2 consisted of new construction and are complete, including a five-story Freshman Academy. A three-story addition now connects the academy, the gym, and the new school entrance off the Father Morissette Boulevard entrance.

Phases 3 and 4 involved more in-depth renovation projects of the 1980s building and the 1922 and 1892 buildings. Regis said the Cyrus Irish Auditorium and the North Bridge are open.

The Phase 4 turnover is expected to take place in 2027, one year behind schedule and $36 million over budget.