Oklahoma can't be expected to fill a $173 million pothole without some major delays in road construction projects.

"The scope of that project may be changed or altered. That doesn't mean we're not going to do it," said Gary Ridley, director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

"It may not be quite as long – certainly in the case of bridges, you still have to get across the river regardless, so you can't really shorten up the length of a bridge. But certain roadway sections, you may have to shorten the length on or make some decisions on.

"But we have several projects that we have made a commitment on that we're going to build. … We will complete all of the projects that we have underway; that shouldn't be a concern."

When Transportation Department officials started drafting an eight-year construction plan in late 2006, Ridley said, they saw trouble down the road. The Congressional Budget Office had been warning of the eventual evaporation of the $200 billion Highway Trust Fund.

According to Federal Highway Administration data, Oklahoma's share of that fund for fiscal year 2008 totaled more than $542 million, including apportioned programs and high priority projects. Without a correction, the fiscal year 2009 total is projected at only $369 million, a 32 percent drop.

"We knew there was some concern at the national level that the moneys would not be forthcoming as greatly as they were," Ridley said.

Historically, Oklahoma has been a "donor state," contributing more to the trust fund than it received back from the federal government. The arcane formulae used to redistribute the taxes tried to measure the subjective needs of each state by weighing factors such as number of drivers and miles of road.

Some states such as Alaska, Montana and Hawaii have received a disproportionate amount of money compared with what they put in – Alaska, for example, has contributed 0.21 percent of the fund's total since its inception but has received 1.24 percent of the pot, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Annual U.S. DOT data show that since fiscal year 1957, Oklahoma has provided the trust fund with about $10.2 billion, or 1.68 percent of its revenue, but received only $9.5 billion, or 1.40 percent.

Like other states, Oklahoma is searching for solutions.

Jack Basso, management director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and former deputy transportation director for the U.S. Transportation Department, said most states are looking to the federal government for help.

"Frankly, it leaves the state legislatures in a very tough position," Basso said. "They're probably not any better off trying make it up, particularly with gas prices being what they are."

Basso cited privately operated toll roads as one of the more successful solutions at the state level. Indiana, for example, allowed a partnership between companies in Spain and Australia to take operational responsibility for the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road.

"But you can only do that in limited areas where you have major toll revenues and large volumes of traffic," Basso said.