The Dodge Momentum Index continued to rise as 2019 came to a close. The construction-spending indicator released by Dodge Data & Analytics improved 1.5% in December to a reading of 156.2. December was the fourth-straight month of increases.

For the full year, the Index was 3.7% below the 2018 average, but the institutional and commercial components each increased in December. In 2019, the institutional building was down 5.9 from 2018, while the commercial component was behind 2018 by 2.3%.

There were 13 projects valued at $100 million or more that entered planning in December. The $300 million Churchill Downs Hotel and a Walmart distribution center in Kansas valued at $200 million led the commercial side. On the institutional side, there was a $250 million medical center in Texas and a $240 million hospital in Kansas.

-Michael Miller, managing editor