The Department of Transportation has released a long-secret list of its most overdue and over-budget projects, revealing billions of dollars in taxpayer money committed to projects that just can’t seem to get across the finish line. Here’s what you need to know about the transportation project boondoggle list:
The secret list revealed
DOT releases long-hidden project failures:
- Department of Transportation released long-secret list of overdue and over-budget projects
- 15 projects total account for more than $12 billion in federal taxpayer money
- Projects committed to assist state and local officials with airport, roadway and railway improvements
- List reveals projects that “just can’t seem to get across the finish line”
The worst offenders
Three projects highlight massive failures:
- Columbus, Ohio interstate redesign running nearly 20 years behind schedule and double initial cost
- California’s high-speed rail has seen costs triple, according to department
- Maryland’s Purple Line light rail double initial cost and at least six years behind schedule
- Projects represent biggest black eyes for government central planners
Ernst’s accountability push
Iowa Republican senator made list public:
- Sen. Joni Ernst made list public Wednesday to expose government failures
- “Going a billion dollars over budget isn’t a rounding error; it’s a financial train wreck”
- “Being five years behind schedule isn’t just losing track of time; it’s a derailment”
- Ernst wrote the law requiring the reports
The delayed reporting
Biden administration failed to deliver required report:
- First report was due in 2022 under Ernst’s law
- Biden administration never delivered the required information
- Trump administration provided information to Congress in early June
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delivered the long-overdue list
Duffy’s accountability message
Transportation secretary emphasizes taxpayer responsibility:
- “If you’re receiving taxpayer dollars, you should expect to be held accountable”
- “No more boondoggles!” according to Duffy’s statement
- Secretary thanked Ernst for leadership in ensuring effective federal dollar use
- Duffy emphasized efficient use of taxpayer money
The California rail cancellation
High-speed train project faces federal cutoff:
- Duffy has already moved to cancel California high-speed train
- Federal Railroad Administration cited repeated missed deadlines and bungled budgeting
- Confidence sapped that state can complete the project
- Gov. Gavin Newsom has sued to try to keep federal funds flowing
The California rail details
Both phases running massively over budget and behind schedule:
- Department funding two phases of California rail project
- Both phases running 11 years behind schedule
- Projects $13 billion over initial projection
- State faces loss of federal funding over performance failures
The complete project list
Additional troubled projects across multiple states:
- Upgrades to rail service between Chicago and St. Louis
- Fixes to passenger rail around New York City
- 20-mile railway in Hawaii
- Transbay Tube railway in California’s Bay Area
More problematic projects
Interstate and infrastructure failures nationwide:
- Improvements to interstate junctures in Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Fixes to Interstate 295 in Camden, New Jersey
- Columbus Crossroads project in Ohio
- Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project
The Purple Line disaster
Maryland project exemplifies cost and schedule failures:
- Purple Line supposed to cost $2.4 billion and begin service in 2022
- Now pegged at $5.5 billion, putting it $3.1 billion over budget
- Current completion date pushed to 2027
- Uncle Sam has pledged $1 billion to the project
The delay champions
Columbus Crossroads leads in schedule failures:
- Columbus Crossroads most delayed at 19 years behind schedule
- California, Hawaii and Chicago-St. Louis rail projects each at least decade behind
- Interstate fixes in Camden also decade behind schedule
- Multiple projects showing systematic management failures
The excuse catalog
Transportation Department cites various delay causes:
- Delays and busted budgets due to pandemic impacts
- Difficulty acquiring land for construction projects
- Supply chain snafus affecting material availability
- Council Bluffs project might not qualify as delay due to mid-project redesign
The report’s shortcomings
Ernst criticizes delayed and inadequate documentation:
- Report took two and a half years to deliver despite 2022 deadline
- One-page chart illegible when printed on standard page
- Must be viewed online at significant magnification
- Ernst’s office said it omitted some “well-known boondoggles”
The future accountability
List provides new targets for oversight:
- Ernst said report gives Congress new targets for accountability
- President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency can use list
- “Simply having a list of troubled projects allows us to begin the process”
- Senator emphasizes holding each project accountable
Read more:
• Overdue: Feds reveal secret list of taxpayer-funded transportation boondoggles
This article is written with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence based solely on Washington Times original reporting and wire services. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Ann Wog, Managing Editor for Digital, at awog@washingtontimes.com
The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.
