Another big blow on [Big] Dig price: Final cost may rise by $333M

bostonherald.com ^ | May 4, 2007 | Casey Ross

[the_devils_advocate_666]

[donnab]

thought they were worried about the deficit?

[vk45]

Mr. K

Original projections are often wildly optimistic. However, wild optimism results in an error that is typically much less than 1000x at least in construction projects.

You wrote (with respect to the Alaska pipeline):

{
But then again, that was originally projected to cost only 10Million. Only off by 9.99 Billion. (1000 times the original cost estimate...)
}

A quick web search found

http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF13/1334.html

{
Originally budgeted at $900 million, the pipeline cost more than $8 billion to build
}

http://menlocampus.wr.usgs.gov/50years/accomplishments/pipeline.html

{
Some statistics of interest. The initial estimated cost of installing 800 miles of buried pipeline was $900 million, and the actual cost was more than $8 billion.
}

If these sites are correct, the $10Million original projection you quote is 90-fold too low. If these sites are incorrect and your number is correct, they are 90x too high.

Your source and the ones I google’d both agree on the final cost (ca 10 billion). I’m going to go with the ca 1 billion dollar projected cost estimate.

And I would guess that future pipeline construction estimates would be substantially closer than 10x to the final costs.

[Dick Bachert]

Damn, wish I’d thought of that one. Nice!!

May steal it. Gotta check with Joe Biden first!

[Gay State Conservative]

I hope you New Englanders love your goombah run govts.

Not all of us are.Massachusetts is one of only three states in the country that's actually *losing* population.The other two,IIRC,are Rhode Island and New York.

[Seruzawa]

Between the Mob and the Democrats I’d say that those living in Massachoosits are screwed.

[Gay State Conservative]

Between the Mob and the Democrats I’d say that those living in Massachoosits are screwed.

Yah,you're pretty much right.I've been planning my escape for a while but now that we have a genuine Clintonista affirmative action Governor I know that before too long property values in the state will be in free fall so...North Carolina,here I come!!!