UPDATE 10:00 PM 6-22

Believe it or not, this road just north of Tallahassee is the deadliest stretch of asphalt in the world. That is, for turtles.

But now, they're about to get a safe passage, a tunnel under the road, paid for with your money. Environmentalist Eric Draper calls it completely justified.

"When you've got a large turtle crossing over there to do what turtles do when turtles are in a mating mood, that can create an obstacle and a hazard on the road for people. So, the eco-passage is a way to make the road safe for drivers and to make it safe for turtles," says Draper.

This may not be a road to nowhere, but that's where critics argue, your tax dollars could be headed. Matter of fact, one U.S. Senator has the turtle tunnel on his list of dicey projects funded by the stimulus.

"I have never seen a turtle cross the road here at this place!"

Sheila Maxwell's also skeptical. She drives up and down U.S. 27 every day. And her experience is exactly what ours was, not a greenback to be found, unless you're talking about the three-and-a-half million that's about to be spent.

"I'm just a simple person, you know, I'm a housewife and a mom, and I just don't understand spending that much money, especially when we're in such a crisis as a nation, and taking our taxpayer dollars for that," says Maxwell.

And, get this, while construction on the tunnel begins in September, right now, there's not enough money to finish it. Bob McClure with one of Florida's top conservative think tanks is blasting the project as everything that's wrong with the stimulus.

"If you take what has happened with this eco-passage and you kind of amortize it across the entire country and the stimulus money and the billions that are being wasted, that's a real issue," says McClure.

Call it a 'shell game' or just a bump in the road, but there's no denying, turtles have become one potent constituency.

The project's proponents point out, it's got plenty of benefits for people, too. Not only will it create construction jobs, it'll also reduce the dozens of traffic mishaps that come to pass every year when cars meet shells. They say the tunnel will also cut down on the number of deer and alligators that try to cross the road, too.

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U.S. Highway 27 near Tallahassee is said to be the deadliest road in the world; that is for turtles. The highway divides two lakes. The turtles use one for nesting.

Dr. Matt Aresco has been on a 10 year mission to help the turtles cross the road. His hard work will pay off this September, when 3.4 million federal stimulus dollars will be spent to build a tunnel under the highway.

“Even if you are not in favor of wildlife conservation, which a major part of this project is, would you want to hit a 400 lbs alligator with your car at night or have a turtle the size of a cinder block come through your windshield,” asked Aresco.

Pace Allen, a member of several anti-tax groups, says the turtle tunnel is a waste of money.

“It’s outrageous, unbelievable, but I think there is a real opportunity for people to standup and say look at this example our governments, federal, state and local are totally out of control,” said Allen.

The turtle tunnel is just one of more than 520 road and bridge projects the state plans to spend build with stimulus dollars. Leon County Commissioner Cliff Thaell said the project will create jobs.

“We have a lot of people hungry for work and ready to earn a living. This job is going to put people back to work and put food on their table,” said Thaell.

The Turtle tunnel made a list of 100 questionable spending projects released by Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn. The list was sent submitted to the president’s office, which responded by calling the report “flawed.”