[lutusp]

As it turns out, some road improvement projects change the pattern of route usage in a way that they paradoxically make the situation worse. It's called "Braess's paradox" and it stems from analysis of network topology and Nash equilibria:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braesss_paradox

Also, a typical road improvement project costs between one and five million dollars per mile. Based on the mean value, Musk's $50K contribution would add capacity to 106 feed of roadway.

Nice gesture, though.

[loceng]

I imagine the gesture was meant as a way to perhaps incite others to put additional of their own funds into it (outside of the taxes they hopefully pay).

[lutusp]

I think Musk's involvement will be beneficial more because of his name and his reputation for getting things done, than by way of his contribution.