You're forgetting that a lot of people that use those highways want to live outside the city and don't want to be crammed into the city.
I love it in the city, can't imagine living where you literally cannot walk anywhere - but most of those people out there like it or they wouldn't be out there.
So, no, the people maintaining those highways aren't doing nothing. Maybe they're doing nothing for you. Maybe you can argue you're subsidizing other people's lives. But you can't say that people maintaining highways are doing nothing or are net negative.
I love it in the city, can't imagine living where you literally cannot walk anywhere - but most of those people out there like it or they wouldn't be out there.
So, no, the people maintaining those highways aren't doing nothing. Maybe they're doing nothing for you. Maybe you can argue you're subsidizing other people's lives. But you can't say that people maintaining highways are doing nothing or are net negative.