Bazz, it's not just in the US that bitumen roads are being returned to gravel.

In 2002 I was surprised to run into a gravel road, just out of Woodenbong. 74 kilometers of previously bitumen road from there to Tenterfield had been ripped up, as the local authority could not afford to maintain the bitumen road, as it aged.

Hasbeen; Thanks, I was not aware that we were already on that road,
Oh dear, sorry about that !
It seems to me that to plan for future transport we will need to rely
more on electrified railways. We can reopen some of the branch lines
that were closed, and decide if it is better to electrify them or
allocate what diesel is available to them.
It will also in some cases restore the rail shipment of wheat.

Certainly, the financing of multilane highways should stop immediately.
By the time they are finished we will not need them.
For a fraction of the cost of such highways all interstate freight
could be taken off road and moved by rail. Trucks can then be used
for local delivery, just as happens with sea freight.
If diesel increases in price as expected then it will happen by default.
A planned change over would be preferable.

Having worked for so long on the roads I can confirm some tar roads are being returned to gravel.
Some times a lack of understanding is seeing very bad rural roads not improved because of false economy's.
Some roads could be better built, but at what costs.
Road building is for me a thing I would return to at the drop of a hat, if I had control.
If gravel could be won from road side hills, and if enough was available to restore the cross fall, then if the sealing was done in the right grades of blue metal they last.
Cost for a road that last twice as long as a badly built one are surely half.
New highway is concrete with a 50 year life span, cheap in the full life span.
But failing country roads, damaged as much by movement under the road as water on top needs understanding.
Cross fall, get the water of,drains, take it away,and not the near rice being used in NSW to stop road noise but real gutsy metal 20mm at least, reseal on a planned basis before too much wear and we are home free.
Other options than tar are coming to hold our roads together.
One day we may calculate costs by lifespan not building costs.

Totally in agreement Baz.

I hope some politicians are reading your suggestions.

In conjunction with existing highways and roads using the high quality thick blue metal Belly outlined Baz.

I have no doubts,we will find other fuels, civilization demands it.
We will continue to build multi lane roads, we want faster travel.
Yes we know about congestion but what are CURRENT costs to build more public transport,how do we park at the terminals.
How can a population of our numbers fund better than we have.
I do think, truly,if we ran out of oil this very day we would be running again on another fuel in 12 months much damaged but it would happen.
We will not however run out over night,just maybe the loss suffered by the oil industry if we switched now is the only reason we are not trying hard enough.
And just as other thing should roads together we will continue to seal roads with metal held in place as it is now.
However the nature of gravels available quantity's are continuing factors you can not put a hard top on a sponge cake and call it a road.
One day, some one is going to get very rich Germany and America already have great road making gear.
One day even better will find its way here and a focus on building and costing on life span will see better long lasting roads but at a price.
Rail? trucks have an advantage, load at source deliver to user, rail demands loading and unloading at a cost, mixture is the way.