Yes, the cost could be a burden. Maybe the state could ease the pain financially and share in the maintenance work. The point is to keep the feds away from dictating how and when things are done. Hopefully there are ways to do that.
Montana has ~1198 mi of Interstate and has a State Population of just over a million. ~74.2 inches of I-State/peep.
Rhode Island has ~74 miles of Interstate and a slightly higher population. ~4.5 inches of I-State/peep.
Wyoming has ~910 mi of Interstate and has a State Population of just 580k. ~98 inches of I-State/peep.
Traffic volumes in RI are typically much higher than those in Wyo. and Mont.