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Let's work with an actual example, the expansion of Interstate 10 in Katy, TX.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5450155.htm...

Estimated cost: $2.8 billion

Traffic: 207,000 per day (http://www.katyfreeway.org/background.html)

Length: 22 miles

Cost per mile per daily trip: $614.84

If we're paying it off over 20 years, that's 8.4 cents per mile driven. This doesn't include any necessary maintenance over those 20 years. I doubt the 20-30 cents figure is wrong. The person who was quoted was an elected official who dealt with a lot of transportation issues.



That's also close to a best case example, the average road in the US is far less traveled.




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