Construction contracting rose 5% last year.

According to a study by the F. W. Dodge division of McGraw-Hill Informtion Systems, construction contracting in 1986 totaled a record $243.3 billion. The gain was led by a 13% increase in contracting in the North Central region and an 11% rise in the Northeast. The West saw a gain of 6%, and the South suffered a decline of 3% that was concentrated in the West South Central region, the study said. It was the fourth straight year of gains for the construction sector.