Owner Operators blast toll road privatization

Owner Operators blast toll road privatization A national association representing truck drivers is condemning plans to sell the Pennsylvania Turnpike and other highways.
   'Proposals to sell the turnpike to private companies are un-American, and to consider selling this national asset to foreign companies is downright anti-American,” said Todd Spencer, executive vice-president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).
   'Selling the turnpike is akin to pawn-shop mentality, hock your assets for cash now, but pay big time down the road,' Spencer said. 'Investors lining up to buy the turnpike aren't a benevolent bunch. They won't be doing this out of the goodness of their hearts for the people of Pennsylvania.'
   The association said there is 'a well-choreographed campaign being driven by foreign-based private interests' to privatize U.S. highways.
   A consortium led by the Macquarie Infrastructure Group of Australia has taken control of the Indiana Toll Road and Chicago Skyway for 75 and 99 years, respectively. Macquarie is also in talks with New Jersey, Ohio and several other states regarding publicly owned toll roads, bridges and tunnels.
   Macquarie already has a 100-percent interest in the soon-to-open South Bay Expressway in San Diego and a 100-percent interest in the 14-mile Dulles Greenway in Virginia near Washington.
   Spencer said the primary motivation of these companies was the opportunity for long-term cash flows and large profits derived from high tolls and clauses restricting improvements to adjacent roadways.