CONSTRUCTION NEWS<br>Turner Corp. Forecasts Flat Construction Costs For First Quarter
General builder Turner Corp. announced that construction costs in the first quarter of 2003 are projected to remain the same as the fourth quarter of 2002. According to the Turner Building Cost Index, the first quarter 2003 index will hold at 620, showing a .49 percent increase from the first quarter 2002 index of 617.
According to Karl F. Almstead, Turner vice president responsible for the Building Cost Index, the reduced available non-residential construction markets, combined with the uncertainty about war, have continued to weaken pricing pressure. Although individual materials have shown price fluctuation, in general the pricing of materials and manufactured goods has remained flat.