This is the 2094th most frequent German word.
verursacht
"Caused" or "is responsible for."
In this sentence, 'verursacht' is used as a verb to indicate that the subject ('die schlechte Straßenbeleuchtung') is the cause of the predicate ('viele Verkehrsunfälle').
Die schlechte Straßenbeleuchtung verursacht viele Verkehrsunfälle.
The poor street lighting causes many traffic accidents.
In this sentence, 'verursacht' is used as the past participle of the verb 'verursachen' in the perfect tense construction ('hat verursacht') to describe that the storm led to damages.
Der Sturm hat Schäden am Dach verursacht.
The storm caused damages to the roof.
Here, 'verursacht' demonstrates a present tense application where the ongoing action ('the project') yields specific consequences ('hohe Kosten').