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The boost in construction planning in March masks a widespread warmth in most of the industry.
The Dodge Momentum Index, a measure that tracks nonresidential construction projects entering the planning stages, rebounded to increase 1.8% month on month in Marchaccording to Dodge Construction Network. The gain is the first monthly increase of the following year two consecutive drops to start in 2026.
But without data center constructionsthe drafting tables would seem much less active.
“Planning momentum in March was driven almost entirely by data center projects, with most other sectors shrinking,” said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network. “For some categories, this reflects a natural reset after the outsized growth at the end of 2025.”
Business planning rose 7% for the month, but activity slowed in nearly every sector outside of data centers. Institutional projects, for example, were down 8.8%, with only education and public buildings posting small gains.
Since March 2025, commercial planning has increased 28.5% year over year, according to Dodge. Without the data center boom, however, business planning would have fallen 12.7% over that period. Institutional planning increased by 19.6% compared to data from a year ago.
The report suggests that elevated macroeconomic risks are likely to start feeding into planning decisions, Martin said. While AI-powered construction looks bullish so far, the outlook for other traditional construction sectors, such as office and commercial projects, looks weaker.
However, the index as a whole is 25.8% higher than in March 2025. This indicates that there is not yet a backlog of future construction work based on plans that have already been drawn up.
A total of 54 projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning in March, according to Dodge. Major commercial projects include:
- 17 individual buildings, each valued at $500 million, for Amazon’s data center campus in Hamlet, North Carolina, or $8.5 billion in total.
- 10 individual buildings, each valued at $250 million, in connection with the Microsoft DSM50 data center in Dallas, Iowa, for a total of $2.5 billion.
The largest institutional projects to enter planning included:
- The $245 million MCLJ Ambulatory Pavilion in San Diego.
- The $183 million Orlando Health Viera Phase 1B in Viera West, Florida.
- The $175 million renovation project of Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Camp Pendleton North in San Diego.
