Getting infrastructure costs right: The tool that could save governments billions Stéphane StraubHe He June 30, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/getting-infrastructure-costs-right--the-tool-that-could-save-gov Cost overruns are not an anomaly in infrastructure. Globally, transport projects routinely exceed their initial budgets. Behind many of these overruns is a surprisingly basic problem: governments do not have reliable tools to estimate what a road or railway should cost before they commit to building it. Hiring engineers to study every potential project is too expensive and takes too long. As a result, transport agencies and ministries often resort to broad national average costs or databases like the Road Costs Knowledge System (ROCKS) that quickly become outdated. Averages mask everything that matters. A road through mountainous terrain costs far more than one across flat savanna, and a road through a busy city costs far more to build than one through open countryside. When planners disregard these realities, the result is systematic budget miscalculation and, ultimately, misallocated public funds.