Here in flyover country, the road construction contractors charge the state (taxpayers) $1/day per barrel, more for barricades. We still have barrels on the sides of the road for projects that have been finished for over a year. 40 miles of those things adds up quickly.
Nice racket - win win for the police (they can write more tickets) for the bureaucrats (they get more money) the contractor (they get more money). In fact a win for eveyone except the peasants who pay the taxes and the motorists who are force to drive slower and use up more of their lives in slow traffic, but who cares about them anyway?