As many of you know, KMPO contracts with Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) on the Washington side of the state line for day-to-day operational and administrative needs. We had a meeting of the SRTC Board yesterday, which was preceded by a ‘brown bag lunch session’ presentation on transportation funding; where it comes from, how its determined what projects get money, etc. A topic that came up in the discussion was the role that Public Private Partnerships (PPP) play in improving transportation facilities.
It seems to be one of the topic du jours lately, as I logged onto the Federal Transportation Issues blog this morning and found this article on the same subject.
The piece makes an argument for making greater use of PPPs as fuel tax revenues drop and gives a refresher course on PPPs.
Just saw a great presentation on P3s from both the owner and the contractors side. Both pluses and minuses to the idea, but could be a great way to get some projects funded.
The topic is popping up all over lately. I think we'll be talking about it a lot more at SRTC in the near future.