The 5th Empire - Roads

Private roads are rare, but where they are found they are generally well maintained. This illustrates that infrastructure is not dependent on the state for proper operation. An unwind of the state will not lead to roads and infrastructure falling into disrepair. Abandoned infrastructure will be picked up and put back in order by private actors. Unless the state actively tries to prevent this, the transition from state management to private operation will be smooth.

This happened with great success to the European telecom industry. What had been mired in bureaucratic mismanagement for decades was transformed into dynamic, profitable and innovative enterprises almost over night. A similar transformation will happen to other state run infrastructure, such as roads, sewage, fresh water, postal services, railroads, metros, etc. There is no reason to believe that the 5th Empire will deliver inferior services to those currently provided by the state.

Road - By Gharouni - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link