The Construction Writers Association listed the rising cost of steel and other construction materials as the top construction story of last year. Rounding out the top five stories are: 2) Congress' failure to enact a successor to the Transportation Enhancement Act for the 21st Century; 3) the four hurricanes that battered Florida and the Southeast; 4) continued strength of the residential construction market; and 5) the looming threat of labor shortages for U.S. construction projects.