http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=92651
So, the deal's been closed for about a month now, and I'm sort of curious how something so large has kept such a low profile. Construction on these new HOT lanes is set to begin this year, with tolls coming in about 2 years. While it's an innovative approach to managing traffic congestion, I'm pretty suspicious of the whole thing. First, offering an 80 year lease on such an important piece of infrastructure just doesn't seem like prudent business practice. Eight decades is an awful long time for most folks- should we really be negotiating deals that alot of people's grandchildren won't even be around for? That alone sounds like it could be a major disaster.
The article also mentions that the tolls will be 5-6 bucks. One [major] caveat: they could turn out to be 3 to 4 times higher. Anyone want to bet that they won't be anywhere close to 5 bucks by the time this road opens?
But, the most interesting line buried in this article has got to be this:
"The lack of public scrutiny is just part of making it work. You cannot negotiate such a contract with a microphone in the room."
Just what the heck have we gotten ourselves into here?