TAUNTON — Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the kick off of the new Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School building project on Saturday, Oct. 14. 

The $305 million project will include the construction of a brand-new school building that will serve over 1,400 high school students in 19 vocational programs. The new school is set to open in 2026.

Superintendent-Director Alexandre Magalhaes hosted the ceremony with State Representative Norman Orrall, State Representative Carol Doherty, members of the Bristol Plymouth School Building Committee, members of the Bristol Plymouth School Committee, Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Executive Director Mary Pichetti and local leaders in attendance.

Magalhaes began the ceremony speaking about how thrilled they are to be starting this project and the impact it will have on the region.

“Today we celebrate the beginning of a new area for vocational education in our community,” Magalhaes said. “At Bristol-Plymouth, we have a long tradition of excellence that will continue at this new facility. It will create more opportunities for our students to learn and grow in a modern learning environment.”

Currently, the Massachusetts School Building Authority is set to provide up to $125 million in funding assistance for the project, with the district estimated to spend about $180 million.

Bristol Plymouth School Building Committee Chair Carolyn Pearson spoke about the hard work that went into the application process in order to receive funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a process that began in 2006 and continued through the Covid pandemic to today.