The Augusta-Aiken market has landed in a construction magazine's top 10 list for Southeastern construction spending, but it wasn't because of brisk homebuilding or commercial developments.

It was the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Site.

The $3.5 billion project at the Savannah River Site known as the MOX facility caused the metro area's construction spending to surge 379 percent last year, helping the area place No. 5 in Southeast Construction 's ranking in its February issue.

The area's $5.01 billion worth of construction during an 11-month period in 2007 vaulted it above larger Southeastern markets such as Jacksonville, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Tampa, Fla. Atlanta, with $13.9 billion worth of construction, was No. 1, followed by Miami; Orlando, Fla.; and Charlotte, N.C.

Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver, who issued a news release based on the listing, said the ranking "stands as a testament to the team approach our City has taken towards economic development and to the fact that our metro area is now recognized as a strong investment at the national level."

Southeast Construction, published by McGraw-Hill Construction, noted in its report that growth in construction values in the Augusta region were influenced by the MOX project.