Heavies Help Build the Roads to Recovery

At long last, housing construction is on the rise again.
A tiller preps a roadway for new subdivision in Overland Park.

After five years of quiet, the sounds of grading equipment and concrete trucks are back in new residential subdivisions in the Kansas City area, which means more work for heavy constructors.

In April, 444 single-family building permits were issued—the highest for any month since April 2008, according to the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City. There were 337 permits in May, the best May since 2007, association data shows.