Boondoggle: A boondoggle is a project that is considered a useless waste of both time and money, yet is often continued due to extraneous policy or political motivations. The term arose from a 1935 New York Times report that more than $3 million had been spent on recreational activities for the jobless as part of the New Deal.
A perfect word to describe the big dig.
The word used was boondockle; boondoggle, the word you introduced is a different word. Back to the issue: What is a boondockle?