WASHINGTON — Revenue from tolls and public-private ventures may account for 50 percent of new expressways built in the United States over the next 10 years, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Executive Director John Horsley said recently. And while it is “vital to meeting national needs,” at best it will account for only 10 percent of needed investment, he added.

Speaking at the 19th Annual American Road & Transportation Builders Association Conference on Public-Private Ventures in Transportation in Washington, D.C., Horsley cited many of the successful tolling and public-private venture projects built across the country. However, he said that a “backlash” has set in, and that future projects will face increasing scrutiny by political leaders to ensure protection of the public. He discussed the importance of public-private partnerships in meeting the nation’s future transportation needs.

Horsley noted that the role of tolls and PPVs was addressed at a summit during which AASHTO and other national transportation organizations crafted a broad-based vision for the future of the nation’s surface transportation system.

The groups asserted that all levels — federal, state and local governments and the private sector — must help fund the quantum increase in investment needed.

— via Truckinginfo.com