It’s much more complicated than that. If you’re interested, Alon Levy of Pedestrian Observations compares transit construction costs across countries, for example why some countries like Spain and South Korea can build subways for 1/10 the cost per mile of USA construction projects. It basically comes down to “no one tried to make this cheaper”. Culture and history seem to be the primary drivers, more than labor costs, unions, corruption, environmental regulations, NIMBYs, etc.
Thanks, this is a great read[1]. The incuriosity he sees as the reason why nothing is done is something I've seen a lot of, and have been thinking more and more about. As he notes, it's not just lack of interest in making things better, but refusing to believe better is possible even when presented with examples of better systems.
Many local US governments establish prevailing wage-laws that set minimum wages for construction jobs that private contractors have to abide by if they go work for the government.
It was never an organizational goal to reduce the cost of delivering infrastructure. Picture an overweight, out of shape person. Literally anything you do can improve health - portion size, macro balance, calorie restriction, daily exercise, intensity of exercise, change of environment, removal of food temptations, variety of exercise, cardio, weights, sports, etc. You don’t have to be a dietician or personal trainer to help this person. But if they don’t want to lose weight, they’re not going to try any of these.
Much of American infrastructure provision is like that hypothetical person - the goal is never to to spend less. Political and organizational goals are to increase budget, increase headcount, deliver ribbon cutting ceremonies, avoid affecting neighborhoods with powerful constituents, hit service coverage goals, create construction and operations jobs, etc. There’s no one whose job evaluation and advancement is based on reducing costs.
