Although 2009 was grim overall for the construction industry, not all numbers were negative. Several niche project categories saw significant increases in the four metropolitan statistical areas within Midwest Construction’s coverage: Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago.
According to research compiled by McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics (which, like Midwest Construction, is part of the McGraw-Hill Cos.), the category faring the best was non-building construction, either by small increases or small decreases in start values. Some projects are part of large long-term infrastructure improvements that launched before the recession kicked in. Others were jump-started by stimulus from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The non-building category includes highways, bridges, utilities and public works.