(MENAFN) The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it is revoking $175 million in federal funding previously allocated to four infrastructure projects tied to California’s embattled high-speed rail initiative.

According to the agency, the withdrawn funds were intended for grade separations, overcrossings, design planning, and the construction of a high-speed rail station in Madera.

"As of today, the American people are done investing in California's failed experiment," declared U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "The waste ends here. Instead, my Department will focus on making travel great again by investing in well-managed projects that can make projects like high-speed rail a reality."

The federal government’s move comes after nearly $15 billion has already been spent on the project, which critics have labeled a costly and mismanaged “boondoggle.” In response, California filed a lawsuit in July challenging the funding cancellation, describing it as unlawful.

First greenlit by voters in 2008 through a $10 billion bond measure, California’s high-speed rail effort has since produced over 50 major structures, including bridges, viaducts, and overpasses.

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