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Faced with tightening lending standards, commercial buildings will take a hit as well, dropping 6 percent in 2008. After experiencing a 40 percent surge of growth in 2007, thanks in part to considerable development of ethanol plants, the manufacturing sector will retreat by 11 percent in dollar volume to $16.5 billion.
Some trends are more positive for 2007, particularly in the public sector as many state and local governments remain fiscally strong, Murray said. Public works could realize a 3 percent gain to $120.95 billion in 2008. Highways and bridges are predicted to be a major contributor to growth, as renewed interest has been expressed in Congress for infrastructure improvements following the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August. Public-private partnerships also continue to offer additional revenue sources. Murray said that the sector could see a 5 percent increase in construction starts to $56.9 billion in 2008.
Values of institutional building will also rise 4 percent to $118.7 billion next year, while square footage of those projects will remain essentially flat, experiencing a modest 1 percent increase. School construction will be a strong contributor to growth in the sector, rising 7 percent to $56.3 billion next year, while healthcare starts will flatten with a 1 percent drop predicted.
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http://archrecord.construction.com/n...nstruction.asp
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"Some trends are more positive for 2007, particularly in the public sector as many state and local governments remain fiscally strong, Murray said. Public works could realize a 3 percent gain to $120.95 billion in 2008. Highways and bridges are predicted to be a major contributor to growth, as renewed interest has been expressed in Congress for infrastructure improvements following the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August. Public-private partnerships also continue to offer additional revenue sources. Murray said that the sector could see a 5 percent increase in construction starts to $56.9 billion in 2008.
Values of institutional building will also rise 4 percent to $118.7 billion next year, while square footage of those projects will remain essentially flat, experiencing a modest 1 percent increase. School construction will be a strong contributor to growth in the sector, rising 7 percent to $56.3 billion next year, while healthcare starts will flatten with a 1 percent drop predicted."