Rep. Mica calls for freeway lanes staying free

Add toll road capacity w/ PPP

Jay Blazek Crossley, Aug 23, 11.

US Houston Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-FL) does not support converting existing free highway lanes to toll lanes, although he is pushing for adding new congestion pricing lanes, including using value capture schemes to pay for new road development by capturing the added value from induced development surrounding the roadway, according to Planetizen. Rep. Mica is suggesting these changes in a forthcoming federal transportation bill.

Rep. Mica also calls for public private partnerships in his oped in the Orlando Sentinel:

However, to expand and build more capacity on our interstate system, I support providing states the flexibility to finance the construction of any new interstate-lane capacity using the surrounding land and right-of-way. Our existing interstate right-of-way is a valuable asset, and it must not sit idle. We can provide additional capacity paid for by the user and still keep current free lanes free of tolls.

With limited resources available, the federal government must implement responsible means of paying for new infrastructure. Attracting private capital for adding lanes can allow us to maximize our highway capacity without increasing taxes.

By better leveraging our existing revenues and adding new self-paying lanes, we can improve congestion in the free lanes. My initiative represents the first opportunity in several decades for us to significantly increase capacity on the interstate system.