How To Privatize The Roads: The Mechanisms And Benefits Of Road Privatization

Private ownership of the roads would lead to far greater economic efficiency, customer convenience, and road durability than control of the roads by governments, which often have perverse incentives to specifically commission poor-quality roads in need of constant repair, as a means of favoring select constituencies among politically-connected road construction firms. Now the question arises: "Given that road privatization is desirable, how could it be done, and how would private roads work?" This paper offers constructive suggestions as to how the transition from government or "Public" ownership of the roads to a private, competitive, free-market system can be made.