A Note on Infrastructure

From what I gathered of de Tocqueville's observations of local administration in the New England townships and counties, roads were built and maintained in those days by the local community. If the roads were not properly maintained, the community could be subject to a fine. This seems a very dramatic departure from today's Interstate highway system. It is silly to me, trying to picture my neighbors and I working on I-90 because as people who live near it, it is our duty to keep it in working order. Obviously nowadays we need crews with the proper equipment and funding to maintain infrastructure, and one's local duties generally consist only of paying taxes and clearing your stretch of sidewalk from snow. But I wonder what effects this has had on Democracy (in America) since this shift from local to national infrastructure was set in motion with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and in full swing with the advent of the Interstate system. Such a direct connection between the people and the work of the government must have fostered greater political awareness and of course much lower taxes...