Con Dig (01-Oct-26) — Construction Dig has launched its Highway & Bridge Forecaster with an inaugural reading of 99.4 — Stable, pointing to broadly steady underlying US highway and bridge construction activity around June 2027.
The new forward-looking indicator is built on verified construction awards captured by Construction Dig, with an emphasis on projects that have actually been awarded or contracted rather than those that remain solely in planning.
A reading of 100 represents the historical average. Readings between 97 and 103 are classified as Stable, while readings above 103 indicate Expansion and readings below 97 indicate Softening or Contraction.
What the September signal says
The September 2026 reading suggests the US highway and bridge construction pipeline is broadly stable rather than showing a clear expansion or contraction signal.
The Forecaster is designed as a directional leading indicator rather than a prediction of the exact level of future construction spending. Historical testing indicates the strongest relationship at approximately a nine-month lead, placing the horizon for the inaugural reading around June 2027.
Built on awarded projects
The Highway & Bridge model combines changes in the value and number of verified construction awards in Construction Dig’s proprietary dataset. This is intended to provide a different perspective from indicators based primarily on projects that are still in planning.
The methodology also limits the influence of exceptionally large individual awards so that a single megaproject does not dominate the overall signal.
Live beta begins
The Forecaster is launching as a Live Beta, with September 2026 representing its first prospective reading.
Construction Dig will freeze each published reading and retain it as part of a public track record. As official construction-spending data becomes available, the signals will be compared with subsequent outcomes to test how the model performs in real time.
The methodology and sector coverage may evolve as that evidence accumulates, but previously published readings will remain visible.
Current signal: 99.4 — Stable
Signal month: September 2026
Outlook: June 2027
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