For those who are counting, that's a steep four-and-a-half-fold increase in 16 years. When state and local gas levies are included, motorists in many states now pay 40 to 50 cents a gallon. It's hard to say where all the money has gone. Clearly, the nation's roads aren't four and a half times better today than they were 15 years ago. In fact, it seems that there are more watermelon-sized potholes nowadays than ever.