SmartTalk on PA Turnpike Lease
Here is the video of Matt Brouillette's appearance on last week's Smart Talk Program on WITF discussing a lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
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1 comment:
Private operation of a toll road may make sense for a new road, but how is it possible for a road that we already own and operate? Only through 1) higher tolls, 2) supposed increases in efficiency, or 3) financing boondoggles that theoretically allow the Commonwealth to receive less money up front from the lease holder, and force us to rely on interest from investments to provide for the lion's share of our earnings from the lease. The first, we can do ourselves, the second, we _should_ be able to do ourselves, the third is risky in the extreme.
Someone needs to show us the numbers. What is the total possible revenue to us, with and without investment income, from the leasing of the turnpike? What is the projected revenue, before and after cost of operation, of leaving the turnpike under the control of the existing commission? Has anyone worked up a sample business plan for the private entity which may win the bid to lease the pike? Give us some firm numbers, and we may be able to make a decision on this.
For my part, I believe that infrastructure should be the first priority of the government of our Commonwealth, and so the money needed for roads should come from existing funding, and that spending in other areas should be reduced to allow for road maintenance.
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