[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes, leave it in the hands of engineering which it pretty much is. But engineers and their techs, can only do the inspections, calculations, and reports.

Then it goes to the politicians to acquire funding, including fighting with other states for federal money, allocate that money for a specific project, and award contracts to their campaign contributors and cronies.

Example- Right across the road from me they're spending a zillion dollars turning an abandoned rail line into a paved walking trail with a landscaped parking area. Yet the road going by looks like a WW I battlefield. That pisses people off.