Private Toll Roads; is the Glass One-Quarter Full or Three-Quarters Empty?

Abstract

Policy makers have been hearing a great deal about how privately financed and operated toll roads may be the best solution to the nation's chronic underinvestment in its highway system. This commentary provides some background about these examples of privatization and outlines the questions that policy makers should ask when they consider the latest private toll road proposal.

An Odyssey of Privatizing Highways

“…For example, the privatization of highways has been an actively debated topic for at least 10 years. Two of the well-known advocates on this issue, Joseph Giglio and Robert Poole, have recently published commentaries in Public Works Management & Policy (PWMP) that present the case for privatization (Giglio, 1998;Poole, 1998). Although their arguments reflect the now popular and confident ideology of privatization, there is also a hesitancy in their articles that suggests there might be some remaining responsibility for the public sector.…”

“…Although their arguments reflect the now popular and confident ideology of privatization, there is also a hesitancy in their articles that suggests there might be some remaining responsibility for the public sector. For example, Giglio (1998) offers the caveat that "the first round of private toll roads in the U.S. has fared poorly. This has led to renewed emphasis on developing more conventional public-private partnerships for complex agency toll roads" (p. 292).…”