August 30, 2005
Mr. James March
Manager
Federal Highway Administration - Office of Policy
HPTS, Room 3324
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
SYNTHESIS OF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS FOR ROADS, BRIDGES & TUNNELS FROM AROUND THE WORLD - 1985-2004
Dear Mr. March:
AECOM Consult, Inc. is pleased to present the results of our synthesis of a comprehensive database of highway infrastructure projects from around the world financed or delivered through some form of public-private partnership.
The data used for this study comes from the 2004 International Public Works Financing Projects database, published by Public Works Financing. The publication lists almost 2,100 public use infrastructure projects from around the world that have been proposed or developed over the past 20 years using private financing or delivery as part of a public-private partnership. These include projects for roads, bridges, and tunnels (the focus of this report), plus railroads, airports, seaports, water/wastewater facilities, and buildings.
This report characterizes the principal types of PPP projects and their contracting approaches used by different regions and countries around the world. The results provide a valuable reference tool for those interested in developing PPP arrangements for proposed highway, bridge, or tunnel projects in the United States by demonstrating what other nations have and are doing. Overseas trends in the use of different contracting approaches for delivering major highway infrastructure projects through public-private partnerships may portend possible directions for highway-related projects to take in the future, as the PPP market matures in the United States.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions for improving the draft version of this report. We appreciate the opportunity to once again serve the FHWA's Office of Policy.