Whether you like it or not

One of the libertarian proposals to building and maintaining roads without having government manage them using taxpayer money is for private companies to build and maintain them using the money from tolls. People usually scoff at the idea, but what do you do when the state asks you to do both?

Citing confidentiality, Transportation Secretary Nathan Hayward III couldn’t say whether motorists, already paying $3 at the Newark tolls, would pay more if a partnership deal is finalized.

If the state moves forward, the I-95 overhaul would be the first venture under the Public Private Partnership Act of 1995, which was passed to help the state finance big road projects. The same law allows the state to act with minimal legislative oversight and public input.

The plan is being considered because DelDOT doesn’t want to use so much of its cash to fund one project when it has so many others it wants to work on.

Because of the secrecy surrounding the plan, it is unclear how the public-private I-95 deal might work.

DelDOT turned to the private sector for help 15 months ago, soliciting proposals that would have businesses bear some of the immediate costs of the I-95 project in return for a long-term payback. Citing confidentiality, the state won’t disclose how the partners proposed being repaid.

A similar situation happened in New Orleans. The second side of the Greater New Orleans bridge was built using funds from tolls. According to the plan, the people were promised that the tolls would be removed after it was completed. The bridge has been completed for a long time and tolls were taken right up until hurricane Katrina.