Trends in Highway Material Costs

The cost of construction materials plays an important role in the ability of WSDOT to deliver its highway construction program.  Once a project is defined and legislative approval given, tracking the costs of construction materials becomes an important variable in the delivery of a project within scope, schedule and budget.           

Tracking bid prices from construction contracts provides key data to monitor highway material cost trends.  Seven typical construction bid items -- crushed surfacing, concrete pavement, structural concrete, hot mix asphalt, roadway excavation, steel reinforcing bar and structural steel --are currently tracked.  The data, beginning in 1990, is graphed with an accompanying trend line which  provides insight into the relative changes in the cost of a material.

Washington State DOT has developed a construction cost index (CCI) from the bid data collected from construction projects.  The CCI is calculated based on historical use of the seven bid items and are tracked  to show the trend in highway material costs.  Several other states and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also track bid prices and calculate a construction cost index using a similar formula.  The indices from these sources all show increasing material price trends. 

• Cost Index Graph Updated 4/3/2008
• Cost Index Data Updated 4/3/2008
• Unit Bid Prices for Last Quarter Updated 4/3/2008
• Unit Bid Prices 1990-2007 YTD Updated 4/3/2008
• Asphalt, Crude Oil & Diesel Fuel Index Graph Updated 4/3/2008

• Concrete Pavement Updated 4/3/2008
• Concrete Structural Updated 4/3/2008
• Crushed Surfacing Updated 4/3/2008
• Hot Mix Asphalt Updated 4/3/2008
• Roadway Excavation Updated 4/3/2008
• Steel Reinforcing Bar Updated 4/3/2008
• Structural Steel Updated 4/3/2008

• Download a PDF of the Highway Materials Costs

• Market Analysis for 1st Quarter 2008
• Market Analysis for 4th Quarter 2007
• Market Analysis for 3rd Quarter 2007
• Market Analysis for 2nd Quarter 2007
• Market Analysis for 1st Quarter 2007
• Market Analysis for 4th Quarter 2006
• Market Analysis for 2nd Quarter 2006
• Market Analysis for 3rd Quarter 2005

To view other performance measures that the Construction Office is tracking, please visit the Performance Measures page.

• FHWA Price Trends for Federal-Aid Highway Construction
• FHWA H ighway Construction Cost Increases and Competition Issues
• Caltrans: Price Index for Selected Highway Construction Items
• Colorado: Construction Cost Index Report (see bottom of page)
• Florida: Update on Highway Construction Cost Trends in Florida
• Ohio: Trends and Forecasts
• Oregon: Construction Cost Trends
• South Dakota: Construction Cost Index for 2007
• Utah: Construction Cost Index Report

Over the past few years the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been asked numerous questions related to the cost of highway construction in Washington State as compared to other states. In order to address these questions, WSDOT has completed a survey of other states. These reports are summaries of the surveys.

• Highway Construction Costs November 2005 (3183 kb)
• Highway Construction Costs July 2004 (3025 kb)
• Construction Cost Comparison Survey April 2002 (517 kb)

• Energy Information Administration: Petroleum


• International Energy Agency End-User Petroleum Product Prices and Average Crude Oil Import Costs


• International Energy Agency Oil Market Report


• Engineering News - Record; Construction Economics


• American Road & Transportation Builders Association: Economics & Research

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