> The Alaska Highway, mentioned above, constructed across remote tundra, cost $793 per meter in 2019 dollars. 'the "highway" was not usable by general vehicles

> The Alaska Highway, mentioned above, constructed across remote tundra, cost $793 per meter in 2019 dollars. 'the "highway" was not usable by general vehicles until 1943. Even then there were many steep grades, a poor surface, switchbacks to gain and descend hills ...' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway#Construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway#Construction) plus bridges which were temporary, impassable sections in 1943 when stuff started to melt, etc, etc ,etc. A war-time dirt-road constructed by the army and only traversable by stuff that could probably go off-road anyway is not really the same as building something in an existing city which has to support regular bus traffic.