Solar roadways are the way to the future. Asphalt is costly, and doesn't provide anything but a surface to drive on.
Solar roadways provide energy, they place the grid for electricity safely in the road (as opposed to utility poles, which are always being knocked down by storms), and they provide the way for electric cars in the future.
Many engineers are out of work, but this project would put them to work, building and creating the solar road panels, and jobs to maintain and build them. It will give americans who live near these panels a lower energy bill- which essentially amounts to more money in our pockets. And solar panels pay for themselves throughout their lifespan, and lower our dependence on foreign energy.
More information here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep4L18zOEYI