That is simply incorrect. The number we used in the industry for Pennsylvania in particular was $10,000 per year per lane-mile. That number is 20 years old, too -- so I'm sure it's much higher today. If you assume I-80 has a cross-section of four lanes for its entire length of about 310 miles, that's $12.4 million per year just for I-80 alone. That doesn't include the tens of thousands of lane-miles of state roads all over Pennsylvania. According to the PennDOT website, the agency is responsible for 40,000 roadway miles and 25,000 bridges in Pennsylvania.
Keep in mind that the figure I presented above only accounts for regular maintenance such as vegetation control, snow removal, minor repairs for potholes and guardrail replacements, keeping rest areas in order, etc. That number doesn't include any of the big-ticket capital projects such as road reconstruction and bridge replacement, either.
$12.4 million makes my point...when you knock it down to cents per vehicle mile. It is CHEAP! That’s why companies like Cintra will pay BILLIONS to the government for the right to set up tolling (and keep that revenue).