A positive Ohio construction forecast: Boom goes the datacenter build in 2026
For a number of regional building trades councils, 2026 is shaping up to be another busy year in Ohio, led by a boom in datacenter construction and other megaprojects.
Continuing the trend of recent years, most tradesmen and tradeswomen should be able to find ample work opportunities in Ohio, even if their local area is slow.
In many regions, the work outlook is similar to last year. However, in certain jurisdictions, the workload is piling up, and members will be busier than last year, likely setting manhour records by the time the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31.
Overall, 2026 could be a better year than last year in the Buckeye State, led by a datacenter boom that is spreading out from the Columbus area to other regions.
The Labor Citizen reached out to regional building trades council leaders throughout the state, and the information below discusses their expectations for 2026.
Cleveland BCTC
Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary/Business Manager Dave Wondolowski expects the 2026 workload to be similar to last year. “However, 2027 should surpass recent trends,” he said. While some areas of the state are relying on one sector, such as datacenters, to carry the load, Wondolowski foresees a more balanced workload in 2026, which could include datacenters
While several major projects will reach the finish line this year, that work will be replaced by two megaprojects set to officially break ground in 2026 – the Cleveland Browns’ domed stadium and the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport renovation. Wondolowski also expects affiliated members to begin logging hours at the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center site in Garfield Heights.
The majority of the larger projects and megaprojects in the CBCTC territory will be covered under Project Labor Agreements. There will be ample opportunities to work on medium and smaller projects as well.
“Cuyahoga County will be putting a $30 million addition on the Metzenbaum Building and will be remodeling the Jane Edna Hunter Building for $40 million,” Wondolowski said. “We are also doing the work at the new Cosm entertainment complex in Downtown Cleveland.”
Columbus/Central Ohio BCTC
Central Ohio remains one of the hottest construction markets in the U.S. and leads the state in the sheer number of megaprojects. “Dollar-wise, 50 percent of work in the entire state is located in Central Ohio,” said Dorsey Hager, Executive Scretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council. “I think it’s just getting started.”
Last year, C/COBCTC affiliated members worked a record 15 million hours, which he believes should be easily eclipsed this year. “I expect members to put in about 17 million hours this year,” Hager said.
For some perspective, in 2012, prior to the region’s building boom, Hager’s affiliated members worked roughly 4.1 million hours. Now, they are likely to quadruple that amount thanks to the datacenter boom and construction of powerhouses to power them.
Besides datacenters and power plants, Hager noted other projects will keep members busy such as an AMGEN expansion, a $2.1 billion wastewater treatment plant in Columbus, Andruil and the ongoing work at Ohio State University and Intel.
He also expects additional projects, including the potential for more megaprojects, to be announced as the year goes on. Hager is hopeful the proposed $400 million renovation and expansion of Nationwide Arena, which would be conducted under a Community Benefits Agreement, will begin sometime in 2026.
Other notable projects covered under CBAs that will break ground in 2026 include a $300 municipal courthouse in Columbus and a $100 million early childhood learning center.
With all the construction activity in the region, there are obstacles that must be overcome including increasing the number of signatory contractors in the region and getting more manpower for those contractors, Hager said.
“We will be doing outreach, targeting small and medium contractors for projects $100 million or less,” he said. Hager also cautioned that due to many of the large projects, some signatory contractors are hitting their bonding limit. This means they cannot bid on other work until they finish other projects.
Parkersburg-Marietta BCTC
Buddy Malone, Parkersburg-Marietta Building and Construction Trades Council Business Manager, said the workload in his jurisdiction will not be as busy as surrounding areas, but members will still have ample opportunities to work.
Among the notable projects are several schools. Malone also acknowledged maintenance work will provide employment opportunities. He believes there is the potential for the outlook to improve, as a couple of larger projects slated for 2027 could start earlier. Regardless, he anticipates 2027 will be busier than this year.
With the many affiliated Ohio members of the P-MBCTC located within a couple of hours’ drive of a megaproject, Malone believes that they should have work opportunities, albeit not in his territory. “I just hope we have enough work to keep them here,” he added.
Tri-State BCTC
In Southern Ohio, John Hollbrook, Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council Business Manager, expects a good year for his affiliated members. The outlook was boosted by a late September announcement of a $1.2 billion megaproject for Centrus Energy and the Jan. 9 announcement that Oklo would be building its Aurora Powerhouses in Pike County.
In addition to the steady demolition and decommissioning work at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, members in Ohio will be building a $100 million water plant in New Boston, finishing up work at General Mills in Jackson, building new schools and performing maintenance work at multiple power plants in the region. Additionally, WOUB -TV reported a major datacenter campus will be built in Piketon as well.
Western Reserve BCTC
The 2026 work outlook for members in the Western Reserve Building and Construction Trades Council is pretty good, according to Marty Looney, WRBCTC President. “There’s work for those who want to work and places to go for those who want to go places,” said Looney.
The headline project in the region is the $800 million Kimberly-Clark manufacturing facility in Warren. At its peak, the project will employ between 600 and 700 building trades members working under a National Maintenance Agreement.
There is talk of adding a $160 million, 500,000-square-foot distribution center to the Kimberly-Clark project. If this occurs, many of those working onsite would move from the plant to the distribution center.
In addition to hospital work in the area, Looney said many members will continue to work on maintenance projects, which he considers the bread-and-butter work of the area.
“These industrial projects pop up every four years or so, but the maintenance work keeps us busy,” he said.