Even if we could build one, I would imagine that when it comes to transportation between orbiting bodies it would take less energy to use our current technique than it would be to use a physical highway.

The reason being that with a transfer orbit you have an initial energy expenditure to get up to speed, but after that it's mostly just free fall. If you're following a ribbon you've introduced a lot more friction into the situation, which means that you'll need to constantly be using energy to keep moving.