<a city is responsible for the maintenance of its own roads> Well, generally, but even surface streets can be the responsibility of (and under the ultimate con

<a city is responsible for the maintenance of its own roads> Well, generally, but even surface streets can be the responsibility of (and under the ultimate control of) the state, county, or Feds. Some U.S. highways encompass surface street segments or cross Federal property. State routes can encompass (or be mostly) surface streets (e.g. much of El Camino Real). The Expressways in Santa Clara County (Central, Southwest, Oregon, Lawrence, part of Guadalupe) are generally county roads. This becomes a real pain when trying to report a signal light malfunction ("not ours, call CalTrans") or a traffic issue ("transferring you to CHP dispatch...").