Dive Brief:

• The number of nonresidential building projects in the planning stages shot up 5.4% in July, Dodge Data & Analytics reported on Friday.

• The surge returned the index to its “generally rising trend” of the past four years after an up-and-down first half of 2015.

• The July increase reflected 13 planned projects worth more than $100 million each, including seven in the commercial sector and six institutional projects, according to the report. Among them were a $200 million Wal-Mart distribution center in Davenport, FL; an office building worth the same in Washington, DC; a $350 million expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center; and a $188 million remodeling and expansion project at a high school in Snoqualmie, WA.

Dive Insight:

More projects currently in the planning phase translate into greater construction starts and spending a year from now.

July’s increase is the result of “improving real estate fundamentals” in the construction sector and increased bond-related funding for institutional projects, Dodge researchers said in a release.

In fact, institutional plans dominated July’s good news, with an increase over June of 6%, followed by a 4.9% increase in commercial projects on the drawing board.

Those factors will continue to “exert a positive influence” for the rest of the year, the researchers projected.