Roadway construction costs drop sharply

Roadway construction costs in the US fell by 17% between September and December of 2008 according to estimates by John Semmens of the Arizona Transportation Institute.

Virtually all components were down:

- asphalt 45% down

- steel 25% down

- gasoline down 64%

- lumber 8% down

- diesel down 50%

- labor down 6%

- plastics 2% down

Only portland cement concrete prices held in the face of the economic downturn.

Many of the declines were from extraordinary highs late 2007 and early 2008, so to some extent the falls in the last four months of 2008 are a return to more normal levels.

Semmens compiles the indices from Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

He calls his series: "Price Trends for Major Roadway Inputs"

http://www.mtkn.org/products/pt/2009/pt1-09.pdf

TOLLROADSnews 2009-02-18