...Lowering costs means lower service levels by the way of more potholes, and less maintenance, and even up to and including turning paved roads back to gravel roads (because lower traffic volume gravel roads generally cost less to maintain per year, per road mile than paved roads...
Lowering costs are as easy as taking the work away from the gravy-train .gov "workers" and contracting with more efficient private companies.
Still though, the cost of the asphalt material, and the fuel prices to deliver those materials and such will be unaffected by the labor component costs to fix the roads. The material and equipment related costs are unaffected by who actually does the work or what they are paid.
It still goes back to the increased costs related to petroleum prices, and the revenue side not keeping up with the cost side increases.
