ENR's Q1 2007 cost report is a package of news, analysis and data. The report contains stories about inflation which reached a high tide mark in 2006. Although it now is starting to ebb, many materials prices remain stranded at the high water mark. Officials at some state transportation departments recognize they are dealing with permanently higher prices and are looking for ways to cope, including design changes. Prices for products with a high-end use in housing are falling, but the housing market is expected to stabilize by this summer. Higher price levels also are creating a new cost problem-criminals. After targeting copper products last year, they are now turning their attention to high-end surveying equipment with costly and dangerous results.

Contents
1. Equipment: The high cost of theft
2. Aggregates: Demand squeezes supply
3. Economics: Dealing with price volatility
4. Labor: Gearing up for Gulf Coast rebuild6.
5. Methodology: Inflation's Major Drivers
6. Indexes: How to Avoid Costly Mistakes

Tables
1. City Indexes: Costs from Atlanta to Seattle
2. Building Cost Index History
3. Construction Cost Index History
4. ENR's Common Labor Index.
5. ENR's Skilled Labor Index
6. Builders' Construction Cost Index
7. Construction Material Price Movements in 2006-07