Orphan Road

I've been meaning to link to this article in the NY Times on the Indiana Toll Road, one of the big experiments in privately-operated highways in America. The contractor has been able to save money on maintenance by introducing a few efficiencies in toll-collection and equipment purchasing. All of this is good for the residents of Indiana, in the short term.

Still, there are long-term problems with such arrangements. It's very hard for the State to get the price right in the short term, and too easy for electeds to give away the store in exchange for that one-time up-front payment.