It's Time to Rethink America's Failing Highways

June 12, 2018 - In his new book, Rethinking America's Highways, Robert Pool makes the case that because highways really are utilities, they need to be financed and operated as utilities, rather than as politicized, state-owned enterprises. That means each highway needs and owner. Highway customers should pay their highway bills directly to that owner, based on how much they use the roads and how damaing their vehicle is to the pavement. The owern should assess the need for new links or more lanes, and finance the construction by issuing long-term revenue bonds. Of course, as with any other major construction projects, they should have to comply with existing planning and environmental regulations.

This might sound like a libertarian fantasy, but Poole agues that it's a model with a long history that stretches into the present day.

Read more here.