Likewise, there are some significant variances in contractors’ expectations for growth in various market segments this year. For example, contractors in the Southwest and Northwest are more optimistic about the outlook for highway construction this year, with 32 percent of contractors expecting the market to increase in the Southwest, versus 31 percent expecting a decrease while 31 percent of contractors in the Northeast expect an increase and 30 percent a decrease, for a net positive of 1 percent for each region. Conversely, contractors in the West are the most pessimistic about the highway market, with only 12.
