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City of Lowell Construction Projects
Table of Contents:
- 330 Jackson Street Garage Construction
- Lowell Canal Bridges (TIGER) Project
- Lord Overpass
- Concord River Greenway
- Shared Streets Project
- Connector Trail
- Lowell High School Construction Project
- Freshman Academy Roof Replacement Project
- City-Wide Roadway and Sidewalk Improvement Projects
- Other Miscellaneous Infrastructure Projects
- VFW Bridge Replacement over the Beaver Brook (MassDOT)
- Rourke Bridge Replacement
- Andover Street/River Road Reconstruction Project
- Beaver Street over Beaver Brook Bridge
- Completed Projects
2023 Construction Projects: Coming Soon!
330 Jackson Street Garage Construction:
The primary garage structure is completed.
Infrastructure work will happen during the month of December 2022 that includes road trenching work at the intersection of Canal Street and Jackson Street. No street closures will be needed. However, there will be construction personnel with police details to avoid traffic conflicts.
Lowell Canal Bridges (TIGER) Project:
The project will rehabilitate and replace a network of critically important bridges over several canals in Lowell, in order to eliminate weight restrictions that currently interfere with transportation circulation and access in the downtown area. Full beam replacement will provide an extended bridge life of approximately 40 to 50 years. To learn more about the TIGER Bridge Project, visit our Lowell Canal Bridges Project page.
- Central Street over Pawtucket Canal – Paving and opening Central Street to two-way traffic flow occurred in January 2023. Overall bridge construction completion is anticipated in Fall 2023.
- Visit our TIGER: Central Street Bridge Over Pawtucket Canal page for more information. FINAL BRIDGE CLOSURE 6/19/2023-6/21/2023
This transformative infrastructure project will remove the aging overpass bridges, connect Jackson Street to Thorndike Street, improve the intersection at Dutton/Thorndike/Fletcher/Jackson streets, and update traffic signals to effectively move travel into and out of the HCID and Downtown Lowell.
Construction crews have cleaned up the site for the winter season 2022.
The Contractors will return during March 2023 and finish total construction by June 2023.
The spring work will include Middlesex Street to the west of Thorndike Street towards Cambodia Town.
Visit our Lord Overpass page for more project information.
Work to complete the connection between Jolene Dubner Park to the Lawrence Street portion of the greenway wrapped up in Spring 2022. The final phase of the Concord River Greenway, a stretch that spans from the terminus at the Davidson Street Lots to Jolene Dubner Park, is anticipated to begin construction in 2023. The City is currently negotiating access and construction rights along this stretch with multiple private property owners.
Shared Streets Project:
Roadways in the trial include:
- Fairmount Street
- Wentworth Avenue
- Havilah Street
- 6th Avenue
- 7th Avenue
- Woodward Avenue
- West 6th Street
- Billings Street
- Foster Street
Positive feedback was received for the pilot shared streets program in 2021 in front of City Hall on Merrimack Street at Cardinal O’Connell Parkway. Design is underway for a permanent traffic calming solution in this location.
Connector Trail:
This project will create a multi-use path that connects the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in the Cross Point towers area with the Target shopping plaza along Plain Street. While access agreements are executed, a request for bids for paving will be released during the winter 2022 to have a builder contracted by the spring of 2023 to expand portions of the trail and extend what was completed during this year.
Lowell High School Construction Project:
Phase 1 of the $343M project, which includes construction of the gymnasium began fall of 2020 and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022. Phase 2 will then begin with the demolition of the old gymnasium and construction of a new five story freshman academy, main entrance and cafeteria. The entire project, comprised of four phases is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026.
Freshman Academy Roof Replacement Project:
Stanley Roofing has been awarded the Freshman Academy Roof Replacement Project. This includes a full roof replacement and replacement of rooftop exhaust fans. The $1.2M project will begin construction in spring/summer 2022. There is a long lead time on roofing materials, which are being procured this winter.
City-Wide Roadway and Sidewalk Improvement Projects:
The City is currently preparing a miscellaneous sidewalk replacement project. The focus will be to replace pedestrian ramps throughout the City in areas adjacent to municipal buildings, schools, or within the downtown area. This project construction will be completed in December 2022. Estimate contract value of $1.0 million dollars.
Other Miscellaneous Infrastructure Projects:
In addition to the above mentioned projects, there are ongoing construction projects by municipal and private utility companies. Traffic management considerations for these smaller projects are evaluated in conjunction with the larger projects mentioned above.
State Transportation Projects
VFW Bridge Replacement over the Beaver Brook (MassDOT):
This work includes full bridge replacement (both sub and super structure replacements). The contractor has completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the bridge reconstruction. Drainage and Roadway improvements are complete with pavement placed to Binder grade. The Contractor will reconstruct the median island along VFW Highway during the winter of 2021/2022 and final top course paving and traffic markings to be completed in early spring 2022.
Rourke Bridge Replacement:
The SLIDE DECK and RECORDING of the Rourke Bridge Replacement Project Public information meeting on February 7, 2023 are now available.
The Rourke Bridge is a critical transportation link over the Merrimack River. The bridge carries about 27,000 vehicles per day. The existing bridge was built in 1983 as a temporary bridge.
The bridge’s vehicle capacity is deficient and its bicycle and pedestrian features do not meet current multi-modal and ADA standards. It is nearing the end of its useful service life and its supporting substructure is showing signs of deterioration.
A Corridor Study and Feasibility Analysis of the Rourke Bridge and surrounding streets took place in 2013. The study looked at replacing the Rourke Bridge with a permanent structure, and if the existing location is the most suitable. It developed a series of recommendations to improve mobility for residents, businesses and visitors.
Based on the Feasibility Study, MassDOT is now moving forward with the replacement of the Rourke Bridge. The process will include preliminary design, environmental permitting, and construction beginning in 2024. For more information, please visit MassDOT’s project website:
https://www.mass.gov/rourke-bridge-replacement-project
Andover Street/River Road Reconstruction Project:
MassDOT’s contractor, J. Tropeano., is working at the intersection of Andover Street and River Road in Tewksbury and along Andover Street within Tewksbury. Roadway widening on Andover Street in Lowell was completed in 2022. The anticipated completion date of the overall project is September 2024.
Beaver Street over Beaver Brook Bridge:
Per MassDOT’s recommendation, the City closed the bridge to vehicular traffic as a result of findings in a 2019 bridge inspection report. The bridge remains open to cyclist and pedestrian traffic. The design of the bridge rehabilitation has been completed and will go out to contractor for bidding this winter. With the newly approved FY22 funding appropriation of $3 million, the City anticipates construction to begin in spring 2022.
Visit the MASSDOT website for information about the projects listed above.
Recently Completed Projects
HCID Parking Garage:
This project - completed on December 16, 2020 - constructed a 900 space parking garage to support public and private development in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District. The completion of the $38 million city-funded facility marks a significant and long-anticipated milestone in the development of the Hamilton Canal District and represents the district’s first completed ground-up construction project. The garage is considered to be a critical component in supporting future development throughout the 15-acre district.
Visit the Hamilton Canal Innovation District website to sign up for the HCID Newsletter or view the latest HCID newsletter
Hamilton Canal Innovation District (HCID) North Infrastructure Project ("Streets F and G"):
This project will build two new streets and install utility infrastructure in the northern section of the HCID. The project includes major pedestrian and traffic improvements to the bridge at Dutton and Broadway, and construction of a new Signature Bridge over the Pawtucket Canal that will connect the north and south sides of the HCID. Newport Construction remobilized to the site this spring to complete minor punchlist items. All work, including minor lighting and railing changes to the signature bridge will be completed in the coming weeks. As of now, we are working with Atlantic Bridge & Engineering, (the contractor installing the railings and lighting) to set up a final installation date. Since Winn Development is done with their work, the bridge is now open to circulation pending additional safety and guiding signage around the area. VHB provided signage recommendations, which are currently being reviewed by the City before deciding on the bridge opening. That decision will be made in the next couple of weeks.
Merrimack Riverwalk Phase II:
This project will extend the Merrimack Riverwalk under the Bridge Street Bridge, behind Massachusetts Mills, and over the Concord River to a new terminus in front of Lowell Memorial Auditorium via a new pedestrian bridge. The pedestrian bridge over the Concord River was installed in early October. The work area in front of LMA has been significantly reduced as work is now focused mostly on the interceptor along the river. A majority of the remaining work for the Riverwalk Project is limited to the interceptor area and should not cause traffic or pedestrian disruptions. Work on the interceptor will continue until a winter shutdown is necessary. Next spring contractors will finish off remaining work including landscaping, tree plantings and monument reinstallation in front of LMA. At this time we are anticipating a summer 2022 opening for the Riverwalk.
JFK Plaza Improvements:
A minor project to improve safety and remove deferred maintenance will commence this spring. DPD, in coordination with DPW, is working on the upgrades and improvements to the John F Kennedy Civic Center, including the transformation of selected sets of stairs into planting areas. DPD coordinated with LPD and Cultural Affairs & Special Events on the specific areas to remain open and closed for increased safety, security, and usability.
This project, consisting of stairs and landscape improvements at the JFK Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall, is currently in final engineering phases and will proceed to bidding later in the month in December to secure a builder to begin work in the spring of 2022. The engineering phase includes structural details, construction methods and costs estimates.
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