Survey Shows Hesitation To Move Major Construction Projects Forward
Rider Levett Bucknall crane index surveys 14 US-Canada cities
A view of the cranes in the Toronto skyline some years ago. Toronto has remained a leader in development involving fixed tower cranes, according to a recent survey.
Photo: Dora Dalton/Getty Images
A survey of fixed tower cranes in 14 mostly North American cities showed construction and development caution prior to President Donald Trump's April 2 announcement of his full tariff blitz.
The overall number of cranes held steady in the first quarter of 2025, reports construction cost and project manager Rider Levett Bucknall. But that result demonstrated the "market’s overall hesitation to move forward with major construction projects due to economic uncertainty." it notes.
The RLB Crane Index survey gives a simplified measure of the current state of the construction workload in each city. Seven cities showed a decrease in activity from the prior period of more than 20%, the consultant reports.
Toronto, Honolulu and New York City report new activity, mostly for residential and multiuse developments.
The caution came despite favorable financial trends. "Interest rates have declined, and the rate of construction cost increases has slowed since the previous" tower crane survey, says Rider Levett Bucknall.
Seattle's drop-offs is one of the largest, a 39% decrease from 28 to 17 cranes from Q3 in 2024. In contrast, Toronto has 23 more cranes than in the prior quarter, for a total of 80 overall.
The measurement for Toronto was changed in Q3 2024, with the consultant noting it revised the radius for crane counting, "prioritizing the downtown core area, which has the highest density of construction projects," accounting for 35% of the total.
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