A 26-mile-long work zone on Interstate 77 outside Charlotte is just one of the problems. Also: a 45% increase in crashes, slow or no response to reports of debris on the roadway, tolls that are projected to cost as much as $20 round trip during rush hour, and asphalt that isn’t thick enough to accommodate tractor-trailer trucks, The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning.
Comment: There is only one reason for “public-private partnerships” and that is that elected officials don’t want to raise the gas tax to pay for roadway expansion. By contracting with private firms – usually based overseas (the one in Charlotte is based in Spain) – they avoid that criticism.
We think they are a bad deal for motorists, and ultimately for taxpayers. A Congressional Budget Office report in 2015 found that the a number of privately run toll projects failed, a result of overestimating toll revenue. Newer projects are seeking more public money through tax dollars and bonds.
Toll roads may be a bad deal for taxpayers, but not necessarily for elected officials, who are able to rake in campaign contributions and anticipate the prospect of future employment with the toll-road firm or an affiliate.