Conservatives Should Embrace Obama's Plan For Tolls to Rebuild Interstate Highways

[Chris]

I support the President in this plan and question why Republicans like Rand Paul are against it.

Conservatives Should Embrace Obama's Plan For Tolls to Rebuild Interstate Highways (http://reason.com/archives/2014/07/16/why-conservatives-should-embrace-obamas)


...Most conservatives claim to support principles like privatization, market pricing, and devolving functions from Washington, D.C. to the states, but apparently not in this case. Everyone from prominent law professor and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to The Washington Times opposes giving states the freedom to toll Interstates, which is currently banned by federal law. They fear it will result in the federal government "tracking" drivers via "government-mandated GPS" and argue Interstate highways have "already been paid for" by gas taxes, so tolling is unnecessary. Neither of which is true.

In fact, only the initial costs of building the Interstates, plus some ongoing maintenance, have been paid for by fuel taxes. Like most major highways, the Interstates were designed for a 50-year pavement life, after which they must be reconstructed (i.e., replaced). Many Interstates are already more than 50-years-old, and nearly all will reach that age over the next two decades.

...The toll-financing approach would be feasible for all but a handful of states, with toll revenues capable of exceeding construction and maintenance costs. Tolls should replace gas taxes on Interstates, be limited to what's needed for the capital and operating costs of the rebuilt Interstates, and be implemented only after an Interstate has been rebuilt and modernized. All tolling would be done via state-of-the-art all-electronic tolling, with no toll booths needed.

This kind of project is tailor-made for private capital investment under long-term public-private partnerships. States would have companies compete for long-term contracts to finance, build, operate, and maintain specific Interstates. America already has about a dozen major toll road and bridge-replacement projects under way using this method, and its success is well proven in Europe, Australia, and Canada.

...

[Matty]

Well, for starters I read federal highways, and federally MANDATED GPS. I hate obama's federally mandated gps, and guess what? 50% of us will buy ours then we'll have to buy the other 50% theirs.

[Matty]

The toll won't ever replace the gas tax, the toll will be an added tax. Watch out for empty promises.

[Chris]

I could be wrong but the proposal is just a means to pay for rebuilding the Interstates, puts it in the hands of the states, and employs private industry--and only those who use it pay.

[zelmo1234]

I would not have a problem with selling off highways to private industry and having them turn them in to toll roads.

This would give a massive amount of cash into the roads fund and we would not have to repair the major highways you could start with I75 I 80 and I am sure there is a highway that runs north to south on the west coast.

For the government to mandate anything I am totally against

[Chris]

I would not have a problem with selling off highways to private industry and having them turn them in to toll roads.

This would give a massive amount of cash into the roads fund and we would not have to repair the major highways you could start with I75 I 80 and I am sure there is a highway that runs north to south on the west coast.

For the government to mandate anything I am totally against

I don't think this goes that far. The states would bid out partnerships to do the work and maybe the toll collecting but keep public ownership.

But, yes, I'd prefer private ownership.

[Matty]

Read the entire article. Not just the excerpt.

[Peter1469]

I could be wrong but the proposal is just a means to pay for rebuilding the Interstates, puts it in the hands of the states, and employs private industry--and only those who use it pay.

With your understanding of the proposal- especially if they end the gas tax or cut it in half at least, I would support this.

[Peter1469]

I would not have a problem with selling off highways to private industry and having them turn them in to toll roads.

This would give a massive amount of cash into the roads fund and we would not have to repair the major highways you could start with I75 I 80 and I am sure there is a highway that runs north to south on the west coast.

For the government to mandate anything I am totally against

I would be against privatizing the interstates. But private companies should be maintaining them.

[Chris]

Read the entire article. Not just the excerpt.

Here's some more of it:


Many conservatives are leery of this concept, especially given President Obama's endorsement, but they should support it for several reasons. First, it would be a large (and do-able) first step toward devolving the overextended federal transportation program to the states. Second, it would begin replacing a wasteful gas tax system with a true user fee, under which you pay only for the highways you drive on. Third, it would mobilize private capital for major projects that would otherwise be put off for decades, while the Interstates further deteriorate and become more congested. And, finally, it would allow using congestion pricing on urban Interstates, which would bring relief to long-suffering commuters and express buses.

The article is a ringing endorsement of the plan.

[Mainecoons]

Because:

1. Toll roads just create another fat bureaucracy living off of toll taxes.
2. You can have 20 percent more money for roads overnight--repeal Davis Bacon.

There's nothing wrong with the gas tax system, the problem here, as usual, is that the government wastes so much when it builds stuff that it ends up getting a very poor return on the dollar. Fix that.