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64 • AUGUST 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS F.W. Dodge reports some bright spots in U.S. construction continued from page 28 Summer projects are excluded from March and April, then the pattern for total construction starts would be the following – March, down 3%; April, up 14%; and May, up 4%. "Excluding the lift coming from this year's nuclear power projects, the pattern for construction starts shows a loss of momentum through March, fol- lowed by strengthening activity in April and May," stated Robert A. Mur- ray, vice-president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. "The overall level of activity so far this year, without the nuclear power projects, is actually running slightly behind 2011, but at least the recent trend has been upward after a particularly weak start to 2012. The picture of a construction market that's struggling to achieve up- ward momentum, with gains for some project types but losses for other proj- ect types, continues to hold true. "Housing is edging upward, as ElectronicEntryDistributors.com 800.223.6879 7:30AM EST-4:30PM PST Tech Support 800.767.7322 Nationwide Electronic Entry Distributors is a wholesale distributor of gate automation & access control Products supplying installing dealers throughout the U.S. for over 30 years. We are committed to providing the best service in the industry to help Dealers properly design systems and continually educate the Dealers we work with. locations in California, Florida, and Texas. earlier advances for multifamily hous- ing are now being joined by gradual growth for single family housing. The commercial building sector has regis- tered slight improvement from the ex- tremely depressed amount back in 2010, but its upturn remains tenuous. On the down side, the institutional structure types and public works con- struction still face diminished funding from the federal, state, and local levels of government," said Murray. Nonbuilding construction in May dropped 47% to $132.1 billion (annual rate). A large share of the nonbuilding downturn was the result of a 71% plunge for the electric utility category, following its exceptionally strong vol- ume in April which reflected the start of work at the Summer nuclear facil- ity in South Carolina. If the Summer project is excluded from the April statistics, then electric utility construction in May would be up 11%, while nonbuilding construc- tion would be down a more moderate 9%. The rate for electric utility con- struction in May was still relatively high, coming in just 8% below its av- erage monthly pace during 2011. Sup- port for the electric utility category in May came from the start of several American Made – American Steel We Offer The Best Industrial And Commercial Chain Link On The Market! Galvanized Before Weaving For Strength – Corrosion Resistance – Long Life large wind power projects – $803 mil- lion for phase 2 of a massive wind farm in California, $236 million for a wind farm in Hawaii, and $210 million for a wind farm in Iowa. Residential building in May in- creased 8% to $158.9 billion (annual rate). Multifamily housing showed re- newed strength after pausing in April, rising 33%, with May coming in 35% above this category's average monthly pace during 2011. Large multifamily projects in May included $200 million estimated for the condominium portion of the Bac- carat Luxury Hotel and Condominium project in New York, N.Y., $117 mil- lion estimated for the apartment por- tion of a large mixed-use project in New York, N.Y., and $87 million for an apartment building complex in Boston. Single family housing in May grew 2%, and since February 2011 the dollar amount for single family hous- ing has shown slight gains in twelve out of 15 months. The May volume for single family housing was 24% above its average monthly pace during 2011. Dodge publishes 2012 Construction Outlook Midyear Update F.W. Dodge now has available its midyear construction outlook which provides an update on U.S. construc- tion starts so far in 2012, including a de- tailed forecast of the industry's economic environment and market trends. In the report, Robert Murray, vice-president of eco- nomic affairs for McGraw-Hill Con- struction, discusses recent developments and how they shape the construction outlook. The report in- cludes over 30 charts, tables and graphs to visualize market trends. New construction starts are ex- pected to increase 2% and will reach $445 billion in 2012, he said. The 2012 Construction Outlook Midyear Update analyzes which sectors of the U.S. construction market will finally see improvement in 2012 and which sectors will continue to struggle to- wards a long-awaited recovery. 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