Driving along some of the lesser-used roads and highways in Kansas and Missouri I was not very impressed by the quality of many of these thoroughfares. Some of them were terribly run down, and many others were only two lanes when four lanes would have been much more appropriate considering how much traffic they handle.
The conditions of these roads prompted some wishful thinking on my part, and I began to wonder what it would take to get these roads fixed. It takes a long time for local and state governments to budget money to fix these roads, and even more time for the repairs to actually be completed.
What would happen if someone who was very well off financially wanted to use their own money to have a certain stretch of road or highway repaired? Basically, they write a letter to the city or state stating that they will gladly pay the entire cost of the upgrade/repair work as long as it is done as quickly as possible. I would think that the city would jump at this offer, especially if the private donor agreed to pay all of the surveying, planning and construction costs.
Is there anything that would prevent this from happening? I would assume that the city or state government would need to have the final say on any construction that is to be done under their jurisdiction, but would they have any reason or grounds to oppose this? From my limited perspective it seems like a win/win situation for everyone involved, but perhaps I am missing something.
Has anything like this ever been done before?
