Construction work to replace the bridge deck carrying eastbound I-196 over Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Shutterstock)
Total U.S. construction starts fell 2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $853.5 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. Single-family construction posted a sizable decline following months of strong activity, while nonresidential building and nonbuilding starts both gained.
“The pullback in single-family construction starts was inevitable after showing exceptional strength over the past year,” says Richard Branch, chief economist for Dodge Data & Analytics. “Higher material prices, supply shortages, and a dearth of skilled construction labor were bound to catch up with housing and will ultimately limit the ability of this sector to show the same rate of expansion this year as it did last. Meanwhile, nonresidential starts are stabilizing and should continue to heal throughout 2021.”
Here are some of the largest projects in the United States breaking ground in April:
The largest nonbuilding projects to break ground in April were the $625 million Atkina Solar Power Project in Wharton County, Texas; the $530 million New York Energy Solution Transmission Project in Claverack, New York, and the $357 million North City Pure Water Facility in San Diego.
The largest nonresidential building projects to break ground in April were a $1.2 billion conversion of a storage building to an office project in New York City, the $530 million Mickey Leland International Terminal in Houston, and a $325 million Amazon office project in Bellevue, Washington.
The largest multifamily structures to break ground in April were the $232 million Travis Residential Tower 1 in Austin, the $173 million 241 West 28th Street mixed-use project in New York City, and the $165 million Union Square Tower in Somerville, Massachusetts.
