The New South Wales Government issued an announcement to Sydney residents in January forecasting an upcoming "year of construction". In the midst of large-scale road and rail projects; residents were asked to be understanding and patient. Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) released its quarterly crane index; which indicates that 350 out of 685 operating cranes in Australia are in Sydney. In the past 10 years; Barangaroo has been a popular location for construction. The city's second casino is projected to be built by 2021. "Every single crane in the sky is more evidence of another home; another school; another hospital; another business in our capital;" said NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. With merely 151 cranes deployed in Melbourne; 85 in Brisbane and 31 in Gold Coast; Sydney clearly takes the crown. These numbers signal a construction boom in Australia's biggest city; featuring projects such as WestConnex; NorthConnex; Sydney Metro and two light rail lines. Work is also set to begin on the western Sydney airport. In the 2016-17 financial year; residential activity took a 12 per cent leap. Generally in NSW; construction work rose by 7.5 per cent. RLB's John Cross explains that the index indicates an inclination towards high-density living. "The crane index is a very simplified measure of I suppose the current state of the larger construction projects in Australia;" Cross analysed. "Walking around the suburbs within Australia I think the rise of residential multi-dwelling apartment blocks over the five to ten years has been the norm; obviously land is expensive."