[m_mueller]

I give you a counter example: Switzerland. Salaries and land easily on par, in many areas exceeding the US. And yet, public infrastructure projects are about the same as in EU - usually a bit late, roughly within budget and generally high quality.

[sschueller]

Also, a lot of infrastructure projects in Switzerland are done while keeping rail services running on that route. Most European countries shutdown service as it can cost a lot more and there is a safety risk.