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Calgary sees crane count increase amidst lowering North American crane activity

LONDON – The latest crane count index report from Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) shows a notable year-over-year decrease across North America, though despite these trends, crane activity in Canadian metropolitan centres appears to be steady or increasing.

Calgary was one of three metropolitan areas to see an increase in their crane count, and the sole Canadian city; with Las Vegas and Los Angeles rounding out this segment.

Toronto is among the cities that have seen crane use remain steady, along with Honolulu, Phoenix and Seattle. Conversely, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Portland, San Francisco and Washington D.C. have all seen crane count decrease in excess of 20 per cent.

On a year-over-year basis, the overall crane count is down 18 per cent, and an additional nine per cent when compared to last year’s Q3 edition. The majority of active cranes are being put to use in residential or mixed-use projects, with the report showing these projects to account for 73 per cent of cranes in use .

In a statement, RLB shared that: “Despite the continued downturn in cranes, we remain cautiously optimistic. Ongoing investment in manufacturing and infrastructure will help offset any decline in privately funded projects in 2024. Overall, construction spending will be driven by public funding for manufacturing and infrastructure projects.”