Bad timing

Just as the new super-green Watauga County high school is nearing the start of construction, this happens. The contractors just last week discussed the project with the county commissioners and got approval of a guaranteed maximum price of $47.2 million. It will be interesting to note how close to reality that will be eventually.

Rising building costs deal blow to local budgets
When money from property, sales and income taxes was steady and interest rates low, state and local governments planned long-needed updates to roads, bridges and other building projects. But now, as construction costs rise and budgets shrink thanks to the troubled housing market, officials are struggling to foot the bill.

According to the New York Times, costs have grown for diverse projects, including improvements to roads, airports, schools as well as upgrades to long-neglected water and sewer systems. Levee construction in New Orleans and Everglades restoration in Florida have also stalled. Even officials working on the reconstruction of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed this past summer, are unsure whether it will come in on budget.

"Everybody's scared," said Uche Udemezue, director of engineering and transportation for San Leandro, Calif., which will soon put out a request for construction bids on a retiree center and a parking garage. "You don't know what you’re going to find when you go out to bid."

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