It was reported this week that over one million New Jersey taxpayer dollars have been spent on an “exhaustive” report ordered by Governor Christie to clear himself of any involvement in the “Bridgegate” scandal:

The law firm that conducted the internal review of the George Washington Bridge scandal at the request of Gov. Chris Christie has billed the state nearly $1.1 million for work performed through January, figures released today show.

The bills cover the period from Jan. 12 to Jan. 31, which means the total cost is likely to swell far beyond $1.1 million. The law firm — Gibson Dunn & Crutcher — issued its final report in late March.

We realize that $1 million doesn’t get you very far with major infrastructure projects, like rail tunnels or bridge rehabilitation, but it can buy a whole lot of paint and asphalt. To see how that $1 million could have been used to help New Jersey climb back into the top 10 most bike-friendly states and remain in the top tier of the national Complete Streets rankings, we shopped around for some pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure and safety enhancements.

For $1 million, New Jersey could have paid for:

• 1,333 bike corrals — On-street bicycle parking comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, and could cost as little as $750. Bike corrals can accommodate more than a dozen bicycles and serve as pedestrian safety enhancements by “daylighting” corners, while also preventing parked bikes from obstructing sidewalks.

• 2,900 crosswalks, 140 raised crosswalks or 95 crossing islands — The amount taxpayers shelled out to Governor Christie’s attorney could have re-painted nearly 3,000 crosswalks, or it could have funded the construction of 140 new raised crosswalks, which help to increase pedestrian visibility while also calming traffic. And at a median cost of just over $10,000, New Jersey could have had 95 new crossing islands (also known as median islands or pedestrian refuges), which are highly-effective in reducing vehicle-pedestrian crashes.

• 87 bus shelters — A 2011 North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority report called for the installation of more bus shelters, which can dramatically improve the experience of transit riders, especially during inclement weather. Keeping transit users safe and comfortable seems like a much better use of public funds than paying a law firm to make a scandal go away.

• 10 HAWK signals — HAWK (High Intensity Activated Crosswalk) signals, also known as Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons, have been shown to reduce pedestrian crashes by 69 percent and total crashes by 29 percent. New Jersey certainly isn’t lacking the kinds of dangerous roads that might benefit from these life-saving traffic control devices.

• 20 miles of bike lanes — At a rate of $50,000 per mile, New Jersey could have 20 miles of new bike lanes, like the ones that will be installed on Route 35 in Ocean County.

• A few thousand street trees — The cost of street trees varies from place to place, but no matter where they’re planted, their benefits far outweigh their costs.

And finally, in case bike and pedestrian infrastructure’s not your thing, at $22 a pop, $1 million could be used to fix 45,454 potholes – a dire need in a state where motorists pay on average $600 a year in additional maintenance and repair as a result of poor roadways.