WASHINGTON - Funding speedbumps in constructing interstate highways have replaced the aggressive federal push of the 1950s, forcing today’s states to navigate complex financing challenges and prove projects are worth billions before breaking ground.

The tighter funding picture complicates the task of planners in six states who have worked for decades to create a new interstate highway that would connect Michigan to South Carolina by way of Ohio, stitching together existing roadways and planned construction into a transportation corridor that could reshape regional economic development.

The shift in the funding picture stems largely from the Highway Trust Fund’s chronic shortfalls. Federal fuel taxes haven’t been increased since 1993, while construction costs have soared and fuel effi

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