HARRISBURG - Gov. Tom Corbett's drive to privatize some parts of state government has made its greatest strides so far on the transportation front.
The Pennsylvania Public Private Partnership Board was created through a state law enacted last year to encourage private companies to tackle road, bridge and other transportation-related projects. Mr. Corbett signed the P3 law last summer after a decade of debate, while the governor's plan to privatize the state-owned liquor stores faces uncertain prospects in the Legislature. Another plan to privatize operation of the Pennsylvania Lottery faces a new hurdle following Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane's rejection last week of a proposed management contract with a British-based firm.
The P3 board is seeking proposals from private firms to operate the state-run 511 traffic information program, adopt-a-highway program and also participate in sponsorship rights at state welcome centers and rest areas.
The action is viewed as a prelude to the board's consideration in coming years of proposals by private companies to rebuild deteriorating bridges and charge tolls on them.
P3 projects also can involve highways, tunnels, overpasses, parking facilities, bus routes, terminals and airports owned by a state agency or municipal authority. But bridge projects are getting the most attention since a new two-year federal transportation funding act paves the way for tolling by states on bridges where substantial work is needed.
The likeliest candidates for tolling would be major bridges that carry interstate traffic, said Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch, who heads the P3 board. He doesn't foresee privatization projects involving bridges that carry a lot of local commuter traffic. P3 projects are seen as a secondary revenue source for transportation.
The bulk of new state transportation revenues would come from Mr. Corbett's proposal to gradually lift the cap on the Oil Company Franchise Tax, a levy on wholesalers such as gas stations, over five years. Mr. Corbett wants to reduce the state gasoline tax paid at the pump from 12 cents a gallon to 10 cents a gallon over two years. The P3 board has the authority to solicit proposals for specific privatization projects such as the 511 system and consider proposals made by private firms.
Lawmakers can take action to rescind a privatization project approved by the board.
In addition to Mr. Schoch, the board consists of: state Budget Secretary Charles Zogby; Nicholas DeBenedictis, president of Aqua America Inc. and former state environmental secretary; Ronald Drnevich, former CEO of Gannett Fleming Inc.; Michael Murchie, M&T Bank executive; Ryan Boyer, business manager of Laborer's District Council of Philadelphia; and Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-31, Newtown. P3 projects are more likely to occur in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metro areas where roads see heavy traffic, said Rep. Mike Carroll, D-118, Hughestown, a member of the House Transportation Committee.
"I don't think there will be many P3 projects in Northeast Pennsylvania," added Mr. Carroll. "We don't have the traffic volumes, and we have alternate routes where people can use to avoid a toll."
The advantage with P3 projects is that the financial risks are not just borne by the taxpayers, said House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh.
He predicted that most new highway construction projects will have private sector investment.
It's unclear whether P3 projects will see widespread use in Pennsylvania, wrote attorney James W. Kutz in a recent article for Highway Builder magazine.
"Another critical obstacle is whether a private entity will view a P3 project as worth the financial risk in the current economic climate, particularly given the safeguards in the P3 law with respect to public bidding, payment of prevailing wages and requirement to hire employees who may lose their jobs due to the agreement," wrote Mr. Kutz.
Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com