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Turnpike privatization is not a partisan issue
Columbus, OH- The issues surrounding possible privatization of the Ohio Turnpike are too serious to be treated as a partisan issue. As prospective plans develop, we should be focusing our efforts on demanding a transparent process that ensures that all necessary public protections are in place. If the guidelines which determined federal funding were not met by Ohio, as the FHA recently decided, then the only option is to follow the established rules.
Ohio PIRG believes that essential public protections be put in place before the process of considering privatization advances further. In particular:
- The public should retain control over decisions about transportation planning and management.
- The public must receive fair value so future toll revenues are not be sold off at a discount.
- No deal should last longer than 30 years because of uncertainty over future conditions and because the risks of a bad deal grow exponentially over time.
- Contracts should require state-of-the art maintenance and safety standards instead of statewide minimums.
- There must be complete transparency to ensure proper public vetting of privatization proposals.
- For full accountability, the legislature must approve the terms of a final deal, not just approve that a deal be negotiated.
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