Roads and Highways

Roads and highways are the public streets and routes that carry most of the nation's travel and freight. State transportation departments own and maintain most major highways, while cities and counties care for local streets and the federal government helps pay for and set standards for major routes. Fuel taxes, tolls, and general funds support them.

People usually ask who is responsible for a given road, how road projects are paid for, and how tolls work. They also ask how traffic rules and signals are set, how highways are planned and built, and how debates over user fees, fairness, and public investment shape decisions about added lanes, repairs, and pay-to-drive roads.