Abstract:
In June 2007, the governor of Pennsylvania was negotiating with the states legislative leaders about his proposal to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike to private investors. Leasing public highways to private companies was unheard of in the United States until the City of Chicago leased the Chicago Skyway, an 8-mile toll expressway, for $1.83 billion in 2005 and the State of Indiana leased the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road for $3.85 billion in 2006. The sums astonished state and local governments around the country, and encouraged many, like Pennsylvania, to consider leasing as a means of covering budget shortfalls.
Learning Objective:
This case is designed to support a discussion of the pros and cons of leasing assets as a means of raising public resources and of having the private sector finance and operate infrastructure.
