Construction FAILS that Wasted Time & Money

When we talk about a white elephant, that can refer to an actual animal. But more often the term White Elephant refers to a something that costs more to maintain that it’s probably worth.
That’s the definition we’re using for this list … which contains 13 of the biggest construction projects that wasted massive amounts of time and money … Or if you prefer, 13 of the biggest white elephants in the world!

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#9 Ciudad Real Central Airport (Spain)
Located in Castile-La Mancha, this facility was nicknamed the Don Quixote Airport after the fictional character. To an extent, this failed project was a victim of bad timing. It was conceived in the 1990s, when Spain’s economy was more robust. Money for the first private international airport in the country was easier to come by. But by the time the airport opened in 2008, the Spanish economy had essentially halted. By the time it was shut down in 2012, the airport did not have one single flight. After the $1.2 billion dollar airport was put up for auction,it received a bid of less than $12,000 from a Chinese investment firm. That offer was rejected as too low. In 2016, a local consortium paid out $62 million dollars for Don Quixote Airport. Hopefully that included some windmills to tilt at.

#8 Russky Bridge (Russia)
Did you know the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge is located in Vladivostok, Russia? That’s as defined by the length of its main span. Extending some 3,622 feet between suspension towers, the bridge was originally constructed for the 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Conference. Then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin approved the project at a cost exceeding $1 billion dollars. It was seen as a way to connect Vladivostok with Russky Island, where the conference was being held. The problem was that after the conference was over, so was a lot of the bridge’s relevance. It was designed to handle 50,000 vehicles each day … but Russky Island only has 5,000 residents, which has led to a severe under usage.

#7 Sochi, Russia (SO-chee)
No sooner than the 2014 Winter Olympics were awarded to Sochi, than the small town on Russia’s Black Sea attracted hordes of contractors and construction workers. Between them, those workers would essentially create a whole new Sochi. Their efforts resulted in the construction of nearly 50 new hotels … along with 13 train stations either new or renovated, six medical centers, five new schools, and 200 miles of new roads (which included 55 new bridges and 22 new tunnels). The bill for all that building was an estimated $51 billion dollars, the highest cost ever for hosting an Olympics Games Contrast that price tag with the cost of the larger-scale Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which cost around $13 billion. The spike in tourism didn’t last after the Winter Olympics ended … and the gleaming white sports palaces have essentially stayed empty and silent ever since. One centerpiece building, the Bolshoy Ice Palace cost $300 million dollars …. And requires a daily budget of more than $13,000 dollars to maintain it.

[vlosten]

Hi there. I'm from Vladivostok, you mentioned my city in #8. You are correct, there are only about 5, 000 permanent residents on the island, but the thing is - the conference was held on then newly (2012) built Far Eastern Federal University campus with total area over 800, 000 square feet. Today, there are around 23, 000 students studying on campus and the bridge is the only connection with the city centre. The campus also serves as a venue for the Eastern Economic Forum, which is held annualy in Vladivostok. There is also a quite huge Primorsky Aquarium on the island, not far from campus. The number of visitors varies depending on season and can reach up to 5, 000 visitors per day during summer and about 500, 000 annualy. Not bad for a city with population of only 700, 000. So considering this and the fact that the population of Russky island is expected to grow, I would dare to say that no, the bridge is still relevant.
It is also worth knowing that the only connection with the island before the bridge was ferry. Of course it makes building campus or Aquarium unreasonable. As to why they chose such a huge bridge - that's because of a hilly terrain and active navigation in that strait.

[angelo]

I was in Benidorm and in Valencia during the winter, and both seemed quite empty, but I have to admit - the architecture of Benidorm is absolutely insane, I call it "The Dubai of Europe" simply because it has SO many scyscrapers, which is unusual for a country like Spain...While Valencia is just extreordinary, they moved a whole RIVER that was flowing through the city in a chanel which is at least 50-100 meters wide...now the whole thing is a GIANT park within the city, it feels like you are not even in a city at all because you are 10 meters beneath it, and there are literally all sorts of sport and culture venues like theaters, playgrounds, football, basketball, etc. It also has 2 bike lanes, 2 running lanes, 2 walking lanes and 2 DOG walking lanes...that's right, you heard it right...and the CIty of Science is something unreal, it feels like you are not on Earth honestly, and while it might be a waste, they have introduced many things from a marina with sea creatures and aquarium to a space musem...the visit to both places is worth it, and it is a treat for the eye and the heart!

[barryatkins]

How about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines built in 1976 at a cost of US$2.3billion and has never generated a single watt of power...

[seanmolloy]

Sydney opera house cost 20 times what it was supposed to and was a white elephant. But now its a tourist hub. Things can turn around.

[ddkehr]

Needs to be updated to include the new California "High-Speed" Rail System...this White Elephant has been endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown to help reduce air travel and lower emission of green house gases. The initial costs were $33 Billion in 2008 and now stands at over $100 Billion and with a completion date of 2033 has the possibility to top out above $200 Billion. I has also been forced to use commuter train tracks in the San Francisco and L.A. corridors to help defray further costs meaning that the High-Speed will not be High-Speed in those areas but will be well under the estimated 220 mph the train originally boasted.

[sustainablesolutions]

I've been to Sochi, the olympic arena has a lot of visitors every day. It's better than what happened with the olympic venues in Athens.

[salarcon]

Valencia lives, among other things, from tourism. Do you really think that buildings that put Valencia in the world are a waste of time and money?
It is a long-term investment, like other investments that are made and that the locals do not like at first. Do you know the history of the Eiffel tower? or the Opera house in Sydney?
Today the arts and sciences centre in Valencia is a must for tourism and generates a lot of money for the city.

[nickyoung]

The church I go to can be considered a white elephant, it was built in 2006 and the scantuary building can hold about 5, 000 people but the parking lot was only built to hold around 500 cars before they bought the small church next door and tore it down to add about 70 spaces in 2012 plus the roof leaks and was only designed with 4 small classrooms, it's also a nightmare to get their because it's on a small two lane road

[orgorg]

When you build a bridge to nowhere, then Nowhere becomes Somewhere.

[franciscoosuna]

the beef processing plant in Texas, owned and operated by the State of
Texas was not mentioned. Our design build company was contracted to build the beef processing plant adjacent to the state penitentiary. The idea was that the convicts would be the low cost labor to process the beef into hamburger for the Texas schools and save the state millions. We completed the construction and I visited the site to confirm that my portion was in conformance with the specifications. The $30 million facility (at the time) was complete, the process equipment installed and functional. Then, the next few days we learned that a state senator made it his goal that he did not want convicts to process food for his kids. The facility sat un-used for 2 years when I left the company. Does anybody know if it ever was operated?

[Halberdin]

Where is the Great Pyramid of Gizah? It consumed the country's resources for decades, provided just three appartments without windows, and only one was ever used. Soon it was robbed and looted, because no security systems except granite blocks had ever been installed.

[PinkLaffs]

0:53 "and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge" - too bad the photo is of the 59th Street Bridge. Great quality control there.

[JustDos]

Just stayed in Valencia a few months ago, for a whole month during Fallas. Though the Center for arts and science is useless, it's freaking gorgeous!

[sonohraloverever]

I just went to Sochi for the World Cup, so it wasnt a complete waste of money. The Fisht stadium was used to host a few matches and the olympic village was where everyone hung out right before. It's wonderful beach town too!

[MonarC]

This makes me feel better, after maxing out my credit card

[NFSHeld]

It comes to show once again that project management is hard, and project mismanagement is costly...

There is one "nice" example I know of where the cost has actually not been exceeded although at one point it really looked like it had become impossible to achieve this goal:

In Berlin, the "Topography of Terror" (German: "Topographie des Terrors") is a history museum. The cost for pairing a former permanent outdoor exhibition with a new building was originally planned to cost €38.8 million for the draft by the famous and award-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. After €13.9 million had been spent for construction of only the extravagant staircases, making them much more expensive than originally calculated, the construction company went bankrupt and no other company was willing to "finish" the building at the cost originally agreed on.
After a long time, the staircases were demolished and a new competition was held. The new draft by the German architect Ursula Wilms was said to cost €20 million, and to be ready on May 8th, 2010. On May 7th, 2010, the building was ready and opened to the public, with a total amount of €20 million spent. This was architecture done right.

[henryvonrintelen]

You know when you say the Brooklyn Bridge but you show the queensboro bridge?

[terencejay]

The 'location location..' was a quote from Conrad Hilton regarding the three most important aspects of a new hotel; 'Location, Location, Location'. ( I've been quoting this for years, way before you could internet-check, so it had better be true.)

[noneofyourbizznizz]

4 adverts for a 10 minute video? How do you sleep at night lol 🤣

[LordDavid]

I landed in Berlin-Tegel Airport in late December 2016. Berlin Brandenburg is now scheduled to open in 2021, with the site of Tegel scheduled to be converted to mix industrial/commercial. Perhaps there's still hope for the location to be saved as Berlin's secondary airport. Renovate the existing terminals and add an expanded U-Bahn link. It will serve major airlines who don't want the expensive landing fees at Berlin Brandenburg.