Rising construction costs slowing down Sun Bowl renovations

UTEP Athletic Director Jim Senter says that soaring construction costs in El Paso and the surrounding region have caused delays in previously planned renovations to the Sun Bowl.

Projects that were originally scheduled to be completed by the start of football season this year have now been pushed back to the start of the season in 2020.

Back in April of 2018 the school unveiled plans to modernize the Sun Bowl with a press box upgrade, premium seating, dining areas, improved concourses, and more.

The original cost was slated to be around $10-$15 million. More recent reports have placed that number around $16.25 million. Senter says that the desire to stay close to those numbers has caused the delay in construction.

“UTEP Facilities leadership, our architect, and contractor continue to work together to find the most cost effective way to move forward with the Sun Bowl Renovation Project. We have seen abnormally high prices on everything from steel to concrete and labor,” he said. “We have a team of folks who are applying all of their expertise to keep this project as close [as possible] to the original construction estimates.”

UTEP stated in 2018 that most of the money for renovations is coming from strategic partnerships, such as that with GECU, and private donations including $2 million from the Hunt Family Foundation.

For now, 2020 is the new goal barring future delays due to further material cost increases.

“Today’s marketplace for materials and labor has skyrocketed here in the El Paso region over the past year and that requires us to be more creative in how we bring this project to completion by the start of the 2020 football season,” said Senter.