NEW YORK CITY-The New York Building Congress says constructioncosts are inching their way back up after declining in 2009. Whileit’s not possible to pinpoint how much costs are rising, givenvariations among the cost indices it surveyed, the association saysthe general trend is upward, albeit modestly.

Depending in the index, local construction costs have gone upanywhere from 0.8% to 4.9% through the first three quarters of2010. By comparison, these same indices show an increase nationwideof between .0.1% and 7.2% during the same time period.

“The good news is that New York City is in no way experiencingthe relentless rate of cost escalation experienced during thebuilding boom,” Building Congress president Richard T. Andersonsays in a statement “The bad news is that, depending upon whichindex you use, New York has given back most if not all of the costdeclines we experienced in ‘09.”