By cutting America’s 37 worst proposed highway projects, Congress could save $13 billion – more than the $12 billion that the highway lobby and its pork barrel congressional champions recently tried to add to the budget.

The 37 projects in 21 states were targeted by a coalition of taxpayers and environmentalists in the Road to Ruin report released June 19. The projects epitomize the pork barrel feeding frenzy inspired by the prospect of reauthorizing the transportation bill later this year.

The Road to Ruin report was authored by Taxpayers for Common Sense, Friends of the Earth and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group with input from dozens of local citizens groups fighting these projects in their own back yards. Targeted were projects that would waste money, damage the environment and harm local communities.

The report gave Road Hog Awards to some of the most egregious projects including:

Biggest Homewrecker: The $400 million Route 710 in California – It would “destroy more historic properties than any other project” reviewed by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Most Expensive: The Atlanta Outer Perimeter – A $5 billion budget busting, unjustified second loop.

Most Politically Driven: Three way tie.

Rep. Bud Shuster’s (R-PA) Pigskin Parkway –$288 million for 17 miles of extra lanes intended in part to reduce traffic after Penn State football games.

Senator Robert Byrd ‘s (D-WV) Corridor H — $880 million even though traffic projections do not justify the project and several east-west two-lane highways already exist in the area.

Senator Frank Murkowski’s (R-AK) second access road to Denali National Park – Neither the Park Service nor the local tourism industry wants this $150 million road.

Western Water Waste on TV

Cadillac Desert, a four part series on the epic story of western water development, will premiere on Tuesday, June 24^th at 9 pm on PBS. Based on the book of the same name by Mark Reisner, the series documents many projects and policies that TCS has targeted for budget cuts.