PING!
Totally wrong approach. Eliminate the Federal Dept of Trans. Eliminate the Federal gas tax and all energy and excise taxes. Let the states collect these taxes and use the money as they see fit.
The #1 need seen by most Americans is maintenance of existing infrastructure and new short connectors; not more interstate.
The #1 need seen by special interests is IOT internet of things and cyber security. Technology is changing rapidly. We do not know what will work best. The Federal government bureaucracy moves very slowly and always sets regulations and guidelines based on last years technology ... or in the case of healthcare the failed technology of 2 decades ago as the base.
Get the Fed bureaucracy out of the picture. Urban and rural states each know what is best for them. And if they don’t it isn’t your or my problem to tell them what is best for them.