Reed Construction Data (RCD) announced today that the year-to-date value of construction starts through March 2009, excluding residential contracts, totaled $60.4 billion, 1.4% more than in the same period in 2008. Starts fell 4% from February and were 31% below last December. Normal seasonal decline and lower bid prices accounted for at least 5 percentage points of the 31 percentage point drop, reports Reed Construction Data chief economist Jim Haughey.