Florida may privatize Alligator Alley, Tampa Skyway Bridge

Florida may privatize Alligator Alley, Tampa Skyway Bridge The Florida Department of Transportation has completed a preliminary report on possibly privatizing four major state toll roads — including Alligator Alley and the Sunshine Skyway over Tampa Bay — to provide an infusion of cash to offset projected budget shortfalls over the next two years.
   The state legislature passed a bill during the last session that would allow the state to lease roads operated by the FDOT. The legislation did not apply to the Florida Turnpike, which is part of a separately administered highway system.
   The toll roads examined in the report were:
   ' Alligator Alley, the stretch of Interstate 75 that runs across the state from Fort Lauderdale to Naples.
   ' The Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
   ' The Pinellas Bayway.
   ' The Beachline Expressway in Central Florida.
   Alligator Alley is viewed as the most likely candidate for leasing because it is comparatively low maintenance, making it attractive to potential private sector toll road companies. The report said Alligator Alley could bring in a lease valued at from $500 million to $1.3 billion, depending on future toll rates. The Skyway, meanwhile, would be worth $1.3 billion if operators raised tolls to anticipated market rates.
   Privatized toll roads have been used as a means to increase short-term revenues in the Chicago area and in Indiana, as well as in San Francisco. But the concept is controversial, primarily because of fears road users could be subject to toll rate decisions by private sector companies that would not have to answer to the public. ' Jim Dow