CityLab Daily: Behind the High Cost of U.S. Infrastructure
Also today: Anatomy of a bad road, and why retailers shouldn’t resist street changes that reduce parking spaces.
Boston-area officials have resumed work on a project to extend light rail lines from Cambridge to Boston’s northern suburbs after it was temporarily canceled over costs. Like many infrastructure projects in the U.S., its price tag skyrocketed beyond initial projections.
Photographer: Barry Chin/Boston Globe
With the passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.3 trillion infrastructure bill, some are wondering just how much the U.S. will get in return for its investment. The nation spends more per mile on roads and transit than most other countries, and because of the exorbitant price for construction, it trails behind its peers on how much it builds.
Research shows that a confluence of factors, from the lack of expertise and ineffective project management, to processes for citizen input, often lead projects to balloon in costs. Case in point: A rail line extension in Massachusetts, estimated to cost less than $500 million in 2005, was temporarily canceled by 2015 after the price tag grew to $3 billion. Laura Bliss reports today on CityLab: Why U.S. Infrastructure Costs So Much