Typically for these kinds of articles, nowhere is the actual cost of maintaining the road system actually mentioned.
The reason is, that in many cases, the fuel taxes collected are far, far in excess of the money actually spent in maintaining the road and building new roads.
And most politicians love the slush-fund aspect of all the money that flows in, and the horse-trading that goes into determining how it is spent.
Also not mentioned and not included in the calculations: the thousands of dollars taken in on sales taxes, license fees, plate fees, etc. over the (let us say 15 year) lifetime of your average car.