[zoyd]

Second, I have yet to hear of a single road financed by private industry on its own. Why aren't they chomping at the bit to build roads? Of course the reason is no road has ever turned a profit.

Well, here in SoCal we have FastTrack lanes on several freeways that were, I believe, funded by private companies. They turn a profit.

And the Golden Gate Bridge is a small example of a profitable road.

[RedWhiteBlue]

Isn't there also a toll road that goes almost into LAX that was privately funded? When it opened, I lived there (around 1994), and I recall hearing that Ross Perot's son was involved.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

And the Golden Gate Bridge is a small example of a profitable road.

Only because it is owned by the government and exempted from taxes, and has a monopoly on Marin-San Francisco travel.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Well, here in SoCal we have FastTrack lanes on several freeways that were, I believe, funded by private companies. They turn a profit.

While I applaud these efforts, they are piggybacked on previous government boondoggle roads. Therefore, the major land/row costs were frequently already dealt with and thus excluded from the project. They also don't pay taxes (the private financiers do indirectly, but their road doesn't pay property taxes - railroads do), nor do the private companies provide maintenance/police.