Page 25 - Arkanas Trucking Report Volume 22 Issue 5

As of this writing, nothing official
has been released by the administration
beyond a comment to the Post from an “THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGED
unnamed White House official. The
official said there are “legitimate ques- THAT THESE PARTNERSHIPS, A.K.A. TOLLS, ARE MORE
tions” about public-private partnerships, TROUBLE THAN THEY’RE WORTH IS EXACTLY WHAT
and they are “not the silver bullet for WE ARE SAYING, THAT TOLLS ARE THE WORST TOOL
all of our nation’s infrastructure prob-
lems.” The official said the administra- IN THE TOOLBOX, AND THEY SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF
tion is still considering its options, the THE TABLE, AND WE HOPE THAT HE’S SEEING THAT.”
Post reported.
—STEPHANIE KANE, SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ALLIANCE FOR
WORST TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX TOLL-FREE INTERSTATES
If Trump has now soured on P3s,
it would be a reversal from his previ-
ous statements. During the presidential Associations’ senior vice president, fed- Interstates, the ATA is not necessarily
campaign, he called for expanding eration relations and industry affairs, opposed to P3s for new construction.
private sector investment as part of a said Trump’s comments caught the ATA “Our stance has always been, if
$1 trillion infrastructure proposal. In by surprise. Much remains unknown. someone’s going to build new capacity,
May, the White House said the federal So where does the administration and we’re not legally bound to take it,
government would provide about $200 go from here? The Post reported that then so be it,” Lynch said. “Put some
billion to encourage further spending Higgins said Trump said the federal skin in the game and take some risk.
by states, local governments and private government would pay for infrastruc- But something like the Indiana Toll
entities. Secretary of Transportation ture improvements. But again, little Road is something we would always
Elaine Chao has said private invest- else has come from an administration oppose when you’re taking a road that
ment would be an important facet of that is trying to repeal and replace the we’ve been paying for for years and then
the plan. That stance was repeated dur- Affordable Care Act, pushing for tax moving it into the private sector. We
ing an August meeting at the White reform, raising the debt ceiling, and watched the tolls on the Indiana turn-
House involving her and state directors working with a self-imposed deadline pike increase about 101 percent in the
of transportation, including Arkansas for dealing with immigrants brought first five years, and we didn’t see neces-
Department of Transportation Director to America illegally as children by their sarily a change in service. We were just
Scott Bennett. families. Lynch questions if there is paying a whole lot more.”
The news of Trump’s change of political will in Washington for a high- The Arkansas Trucking Association
heart was cautiously cheered by groups way plan and suspects it will be at least opposes any effort to privatize part
that oppose or are skeptical of P3s. the first quarter of 2018 before infra- of the nation’s highway system, said
Stephanie Kane, spokesperson for the structure gets a serious look. President Shannon Newton.
Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, said Lynch’s fear is that Congress will “Almost 99 percent of the funds
her group had feared the administra- eventually “devolve” the issue of high- collected through fuel taxes go back
tion’s infrastructure bill would rely way funding down to the states while into roads. Tolls cost motorists much
heavily on private operators. loosening federal restrictions. Because more, because they not only include the
“The fact that the president states don’t have any money, either, cost of the road, but also an additional
acknowledged that these partnerships, they would eventually turn to the pri- profit margin is tacked on to make
a.k.a. tolls, are more trouble than vate sector, leading to tolling of existing the project worthwhile for private
they’re worth is exactly what we are say- interstates. investors,” she said.
ing, that tolls are the worst tool in the “Does it allow Congress and the Bennett, director of the Arkansas
toolbox, and they should be taken off administration to say, ‘Well, we didn’t Department of Transportation, is open
the table, and we hope that he’s seeing do it. We didn’t privatize it. We didn’t to tolling, but it must be viable. The
that,” she said. rely on the private sector,’ but eventu- state DOT has conducted more than 50
Her coalition includes the ally that’s what happens anyway?” he tolling studies during the past 50 years.
American Trucking Associations, all asked. The only place tolling would have been
50 state trucking associations, and the ATA opposes privatization of exist- workable was the Bella Vista Bypass,
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers ing roads. It also opposes truck-only and that was before rising construction
Association. toll roads, as Rhode Island plans to do
John Lynch, the American Trucking on I-95. Like the Alliance for Toll-Free 

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2017 25