The City of Toronto has once again maintained the top spot in Rider Levett Bucknall’s (RLB) biannual crane index.
The RLB crane index counts tower cranes in 14 key markets in North America. In the last six months, Toronto recorded an increase of three cranes for a total of 83 cranes in the core area.
Residential construction accounted for the majority of cranes with 43, an increase of 11, while the mixed-use construction sector accounted for 26 cranes, a decrease from the previous index. Toronto’s healthcare, education, public assembly and transportation sectors also recorded an increase in crane activity.
“This uptick suggests a recovery from the construction slowdown observed in Q1 2024, indicating renewed growth in development activities,” the RLB crane index noted.
Read the 2024 Q1 crane index results here.
The crane index has changed how its counts cranes in the Toronto Area. For the new report, Toronto is using a revised radius for crane counting, prioritizing the downtown core area, which has the highest density of construction projects.
The revised radius is 3.5km from the Bloor St W and Avenue Rd center. In the first report of 2024, this area recorded 80 cranes, about 35 per cent of the overall crane count.
Los Angeles placed second on the Crane Index with 42 towers cranes. The city has experienced a decrease in crane activity since the beginning of the year as construction project reach completion.
Growth in Calgary
Calgary has experienced a 20 per cent increase in cranes, up to 24 cranes. The increase represents a significant growth in capital projects.
These major developments include the $1.2 billion Calgary Events Centre and the $1.2 billion Future Energy Park project.
As well, Calgary’s $5.5 billion Green Line LRT project is under construction, and about $550 million in residential projects are underway.
RLB Crane Index:
- Toronto: 83
- Los Angles: 42
- Seattle: 28
- Calgary: 24
- Honolulu: 14
- Denver: 13
- Washington, D.C: 12
- Las Vegas: 11
- Boston: 9
- Portland: 9
- Phoenix: 8
- San Francisco: 6
- New York City: 5
- Chicago: 4
