The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has recently taken administrative action that will make it easier for states to move forward with Partnerships. States that have approved legislation authorizing Partnerships are now better positioned to take advantage of federal incentives to use Public-Private Partnerships for maintenance and new construction of their infrastructure. As of February 2004, 23 states - not including Illinois - have enacted legislation that would allow Partnerships to be used for transportation infrastructure.2 As a result, the list of Public-Private Partnership projects in other states is growing, and includes projects like Minnesota's Hiawatha Light Rail, Colorado's E-470 Tollway, New Jersey's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Nevada's Las Vegas Light Rail, Massachusetts Route 3 North, Virginia's Dulles Greenway and Pocahontas Parkway, California's SR 125, and Alabama's Folly Beach Express.
Business Leaders for Transportation urges Illinois to move forward aggressively by adopting legislation authorizing Partnerships to play a role in transportation investments. Public-Private Partnerships are a sound method for building and maintaining vital transportation infrastructure while minimizing the need for additional public revenue, lessening the need for new hefty debt, and freeing up limited resources for other priorities. Public-Private Partnerships can help deliver the quality multi-modal transportation infrastructure that the public needs despite current funding challenges. Business Leaders for Transportation looks forward to the valuable impacts Partnerships will have on the future of Illinois' transportation network.
Footnotes
2 U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2005. Retrieved February, 2005, from www.fhwa.dot.gov/Partnership/legislation.htm