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Healthcare development joined data center projects to boost construction planning growth in May, according to the Dodge Construction Network.
The Dodge Momentum Index, a measure of nonresidential construction projects entering the planning stages, rose 5.9% month on month in Mayaccording to Dodge Construction Network. Monthly growth is based on The gain of 6.2% in April after a slow start to the year during much of the construction activity outside the data center boom.
“Nonresidential planning continued to stabilize throughout May,” said Sarah Martin, director of economic research at Dodge Construction Network. “However, the broader outlook remains cautious as persistent labor constraints, high material costs and ongoing supply chain pressures weigh on near-term owner sentiment.”
Data center activity continues to explain much of the index’s momentum, Martin added, however other key sectors of commercial construction also gained traction. For example, planning activity improved during the month for brick-and-mortar office and retail stores, according to Dodge.
On the institutional front, planning rose 3.1% month-on-month in May, the report said. The uptick came as health care projects accelerated again in May, according to Dodge, along with growth in government and religious construction activity. Instead, construction planning around educational and recreational projects slowed.
Undoubtedly, the main driver of planning growth this year remains data centers. Business planning rose 41.2% year-on-year in May, but excluding data center projects, that gain narrows to 6.6%.
The index was up 33.8% from May 2025, according to Dodge. A total of 29 projects valued at $100 million or more entered planning in May, according to Dodge.
Major commercial projects include:
- The EDCAUS11 and EDCAUS12 data centers in Bastrop, Texas, are each worth an estimated $437 million.
- The $432 million Wallace Jackson Industrial Park data center in Griffin, Georgia.
The largest institutional projects to enter planning included:
- The 400 million dollars Modernization of the Coast Guard Training Center project in Cape May, New Jersey.
- The $400 million Fisk University Innovation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
- The $241 million Harborview Yesler Terrace medical office in Seattle.
