Waste of the Day: Highways Got “Beautification,” Not Repairs

Topline: April showers bring May flowers — but in lieu of showers, $571 million of taxpayer funding will also do the trick.

Money supposed to go to highway repairs went to beautification instead

The Department of Transportation spent that much on “scenic beautification projects” in 2010, at a time when the national recession meant many states could not afford to repair roads and bridges. The money would be worth $837.1 million in 2025 dollars.

That’s according to the “Wastebook” reporting published by the late U.S. Senator Dr. Tom Coburn. For years, these reports shined a white-hot spotlight on federal frauds and taxpayer abuses. 

Coburn, the legendary U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, earned the nickname “Dr. No” by stopping thousands of pork-barrel projects using the Senate rules. Projects that he couldn’t stop, Coburn included in his oversight reports.   

Coburn’s Wastebook 2010 included 100 examples of outrageous spending worth more than $11.5 billion, including the money spent on beautification. 

Key facts: The cash was taken from the Highway Transportation Fund, established by Congress to finance the Interstate Highway System and funded by the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax. It was used for landscaping and other initiatives to make drivers’ commutes more aesthetically pleasing.

Coburn opined that “Presumably, the flowers growing on the side of the road will divert the drivers’ attention from cracks and potholes in the pavement.”

And even more on bike trails and museums

The $571 million does not include additional money spent on “transportation enhancements” like bike trails and museums. The year 2010 also saw the Department of Transportation spend money on excavating a ship from the War of 1812, luxury “Rocket Rider” buses and restoring a locomotive from 1920.

The same year, then-President Barack Obama noted that another $17 billion was needed for road and bridge maintenance throughout the country. Americans were driving less during the tough economic period, meaning gas tax revenues were falling and states were missing critical funding for their highways. 

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com.

Summary: It’s one thing to invest in beautification that improves downtowns and attracts commerce, it’s another to replace actual repairs.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RCI and made available via RealClearWire.