Dodge Momentum Index back up in September

By |  October 10, 2022

Dodge Construction Network logo

The Dodge Momentum Index increased 5.7 percent in September to 183.2 from a revised August reading of 173.4.

Last month’s total was about 5 percent below the momentum index’s all-time high.

The momentum index, issued by Dodge Construction Network, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning. These have proven to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year, Dodge says.

In September, the commercial component of the momentum index rose 2.9 percent, while the institutional component also increased – seeing a double-digit gain of 11.7 percent.

Commercial planning was primarily bolstered by an influx of data centers entering the planning queue. The institutional component saw a notable increase in research and development laboratory projects in the education sector, with solid contributions from health care and recreation projects entering the planning process.

Year over year, the momentum index was 26 percent higher than September 2021. The commercial component was up 25 percent over that same span, and institutional planning was 28 percent higher.

Project specifics

A total of 39 projects with a value of $100 million or more entered planning in September, according to Dodge.

The leading commercial projects were a $500 million data center campus on the Tech Park at Brambleton site in Ashburn, Virginia, and the $500 million construction of two warehousing buildings at Matrix Global Logistics Park’s West Campus in Bloomfield, New York.

The leading institutional projects were the $311 million Shoshone-Bannock Casino in Mountain Home, Idaho, and a $300 million laboratory project in Somerville, Massachusetts.

“The gain in the momentum index and its components in September reassures us that despite whispers of recession, owners and developers are still looking to move forward with projects to meet demand,” says David Reaves, senior economist at Dodge Construction Network. “Certain subsectors have shown resilience since the pandemic’s onset, such as data center projects, and continue to stream into the planning pipeline.

“However, looming challenges still remain for the sector, including supply shortages and the rising cost of materials that could chip away at the flow of new projects if inflation is not tempered,” Reaves adds.

Jack Kopanski

About the Author:

Jack Kopanski is the Managing Editor of Pit & Quarry and Editor-in-Chief of Portable Plants. Kopanski can be reached at 216-706-3756 or jkopanski@northcoastmedia.net.

Comments are closed