re: Why does it seem like commercial construction projects take forever these days ?

The demand for new commercial real estate - retail, restaurant, office space etc. is not great in most of the nation. New construction is not on the fast track like it once was because there is a lot of empty spaces that aren't being leased and restaurants are going under left and right. Motel construction is booming and those projects are being completed quickly because there is a huge demand for them...fast food, strip malls and office space, not so much.