A series of higher cost estimates for road projects and a statewide initiative should reshape the debate on each.

The cost of replacing the waterfront viaduct with another overhead freeway or a tunnel rose by about $1 billion each, thanks to calculations assuming a higher inflation rate and costlier materials, according to the state Department of Transportation. Official estimates of the cost to replace the 520 floating bridge rose by more than 40 percent.

Since there’s not enough funding for either project, chances are that other options will be considered. In the case of the viaduct, replacing it with a combination of surface streets and improved transit suddenly looks even more sensible.

Meanwhile the state’s Office of Financial Management estimated that Inititative 933, the so-called property rights measure, would cost cities, counties and the state up to $8 billion. The initiative would require governments to compensate landowners who feel they have been financially harmed by zoning and other regulations. If governments don’t pay they would have to waive the regulations.