Friday, February 03, 2006

The next wave in state revenue streams?

Interesting piece in the AP about Indiana's attempt to lease the Indiana Toll Road -- the 153+ mile stretch of the combined I-80/I-90 that spans northern Indiana and connects New York (I-80) and Boston (I-90) to Chicago.

The deal? Indiana takes a multibillion dollar payment from two highway operating companies in exchange for allowing them to keep all toll revenues. Privately operated toll roads are fairly common in Europe, not in the US. Seems like a good idea here -- privatization of governmental services routinely has increased efficiency and service quality (two words: London buses).

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