【明報專訊】COST OVERRUNS for public works projects are now the rule rather than the exception. According to this newspaper's records, the nine infrastructure projects currently under construction have incurred cost overruns ranging from 20 to more than 100 percent, bringing the total cost from the originally estimated $240 billion to $400 billion, a difference of more than $160 billion or almost 70 percent. The magnitude of the overruns is such that it is unacceptable by any standards.