In case you didn’t notice all those new cranes for apartment towers and mixed-use projects, construction is once again picking up.

In a new survey released today, contractors across the United States are expressing the most optimism about the upcoming year for commercial real estate construction since the downturn nearly seven years ago. Nowhere was the optimism greater than in the South, according to the survey from the Associated General Contractors of America.

The South — which included Georgia, the Carolinas, Texas and the District of Columbia in the survey — also shows more confidence than another other region in the demand for new retail, warehouse and lodging projects. The same goes for the construction of new offices for the private sector, according to the survey.

Contractors across the South were also the most optimistic compared to other regions about new hospital and higher education construction.

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