Aren't they just MAINTAINING them? Something that either the government or the private company is going to do one way or the other?
One of the complaints against Federal and State govt regarding upkeep is that the funds set aside for maintenance aren't allocated towards that because new highway projects are eating up all the revenue. Instead of shifting revenue to provide upkeep they've decided to shift the responsibility to private companies who will charge you a fee to drive on roads the various govts promised to maintain but really don't want to spend funds on. If you're a politician this idea is a godsend. You get to keep the revenue we're paying in taxes for other pork and foist off road upkeep on the public which is already paying taxes for that purpose. It's a twofer if you're a pork barrel Pol.