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America’s highways and airports are increasingly congested. Our nation’s transportation system remains dependenton oil. And our existing transportation infrastructure is inadequate to the demands of the 21st century.
Intercity passenger rail can help America address each of these challenges. Most major industrialized countries have (or are now building) well-functioning intercity rail systems. High-speed trains traveling from 125 mph to 200 mph or more have long served residents of Europe and Japan, and China is currently in the midst of building a $293 billion, 10,000-mile highspeed rail system.1 |
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In the wake of the Minnesota I-35 bridge collapse there was enormous public outcry
and recognition of the need to repair our crumbling infrastructure. Americans
expected public officials to respond to the tragedy with a large scale effort to
address the nearly 73,000 structurally deficient bridges in this country. The
findings in this report suggest that did not happen. As Congress prepares a new multi-year, multibillion dollar transportation bill, we
explored the intersection of money and politics and recent transportation funding
decisions. |
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Across Pennsylvania, cash-strapped governments are struggling to plug gaping holes in their budgets, scarred by the impacts of the economic crisis. At the same time, Pennsylvania's roads and bridges remain congested and in desperate need of repair. This is PennPIRG's fact sheet about the effects of Toll Road Privatization. |
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Road privatization is a growing issue in the United States as politicians and transportation officials grapple with budget shortfalls. Toll road privatization takes two forms: the lease of existing toll roads to private operators and the construction of new roads by private entities. In both instances, private investors are granted the right to raise and collect toll revenue, a right that can amount to billions of dollars in profits for the shareholders. |
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President-elect Obama has declared that his New Deal recovery will do more than just pump money into the economy. It will also create the infrastructure that America’s needs for the 21st century.
An examination of wish lists from state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) suggests, however, that these broader goals could be undermined if Congress and the President do not establish forward-looking rules. Most DOTs have yet to divulge their submitted project lists; but a majority of the sixteen that have come to light are badly out of touch with current trends and the future needs of America’s transportation system. Most stimulus project lists from state DOTs prioritize new highways while paying relatively little attention to repairing crumbling bridges and roads and even less emphasis on forward-looking transportation such as public transit and intercity rail. |
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Pennsylvania has long spent vastly more public resources on highways than on transit to meet our transportation needs. While Pennsylvania’s highway system provides the Keystone State with increased mobility, our historic neglect of transit is inflicting a heavy price – leaving too few of us with good alternatives to skyrocketing gasoline prices and increasingly gridlocked commutes. |
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America’s dependence on oil has become increasingly painful. Two thirds of oil in the United States goes to transportation, with the largest share consumed by cars and trucks. As the rising price of gasoline makes driving more expensive, Americans have sought alternatives by driving a little less and riding public transportation more. |
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America’s automobile-centered transportation system was a key component of the nation’s economic prosperity during the 20th century. But our transportation system is increasingly out of step with the challenges of the 21st century. Rising fuel prices, growing traffic congestion, and the need to address critical challenges such as global warming and America’s addiction to imported oil all point toward the need for a new transportation future. |
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P rivatization of toll roads is a growing
trend. During 2007, sixteen states had
some privatized road project formally
proposed or underway. In the last two years
Indiana and Chicago signed multi-billion-
dollar private concession deals for public
roads for 75 years and 99 years respectively.
As a result of these deals, toll rates on these
roads will increase steadily and revenues
will be paid to private company sharehold-
ers rather than to the public budget.
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The Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) has identified several problems that could arise from privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike. |
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