Some have argued that interstate traffic will be disrupted by the decentralized operations of multiple private concessionaires. By specifying detailed design, construction and operation standards which the concessionaire must achieve, concession agreements can ensure that services are provided using the same standards and specifications that apply to traditional highway projects. (In fact, PPP agreements give the public sector the opportunity to require that private operators actually design, build and operate the facility using more stringent standards and specifications than might otherwise apply.) The Georgia Department of Transportation indicated with respect to its PPP program that "roads constructed under [concession] contracts will be designed and built to GDOT approved design standards and specifications comparable to other projects in the state. Although there may be new transportation choices for drivers such as managed lanes, the roads will be appropriately signed, user friendly, and easy to navigate."151
The argument that PPPs will somehow compromise the integrity of the Nation's transportation networks also fails to take into account how dispersed operations are on our current transportation facilities, which are owned and operated by 50 different states (or political subdivisions of states). Without credible evidence that private operation of transportation facilities is more detrimental to the integrity of the Nation's transportation system than operation by state or local authorities, the suggestion that private operators degrade the connectivity of the system is unwarranted.
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151 http://wwwb.dot.ga.gov/ppi07/html/ppi_overview/faqs.htm (last visited July 7, 2008)