The reason for that is keeping the roads passable for the tourist trade. If the highways and major side roads are in good shape the tourists will come. Some of the back roads can be pretty crappy in the depths of winter because of frost heaves, but for the most part they are in passable condition.

They've been constructing on Houston's freeways since I was a child 30 years ago. That's nothing new.

Try driving through Houston and talk about no infrastructure being built. A gigantic I-10 corridore from downtown to Katy, Tx is under way. When completed it will be something like 20 lanes.

There are all sorts of pojects and money being spent, and it doesn't seem that the study took into consideration funds already being spent or earmarked for the next decade.

I'm not sure anywhere could beat Iowa, where I went on an interview once. The man who drove me in from the airport explained how the concrete would expand and contract during the winters, leaving huge gaps between the slabs.

I live out in the suburbs and love the new housing construction; clean, new stores; and other conveniences. The problem, though, is that it puts a huge strain on the infrastructure. If you live 5 miles from work, your commute is obviously much less than if you live 30, 40, or 50 miles away.

I recall parts of the Interstate system in Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia that – to put it nicely – sucked.

True--especially Mississippi. Still, they're much better than they are in the northeast. That's mostly owing to the weather--hard winters are murder on roads--but also the much lower population density and traffic.

And what's wrong with sprawl, anyway?

I'm not sure I agree with that assessment, James, at least as far as the road quality goes. It's been a couple of years, but I recall parts of the Interstate system in Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia that - to put it nicely - sucked.

The traffic is bearable unless there's a '72 white pickup truck in front of you going 35 mph on a two-lane highway.