DENVER (AP) — The military awarded more than $400 million worth of construction contracts in Colorado in 2012, roughly in line with other years but especially significant as the state slowly emerges from the recession.

The projects include facilities for a new helicopter unit at Fort Carson, a new operations center for top-secret defense intelligence agencies at Buckley Air Force Base, National Guard and reserve centers in Colorado Springs and Loveland, and renovations at the Air Force Academy.