Politicans Could Change Minds About Toll Road

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(UNDATED) - The privatization of the Indiana toll road was the fiercest debate of last year’s general assembly.

A year later, supporters and opponents show few signs of changing their minds. Representative Vernon Smith (D-Gary) joined all House Democrats and a few Republicans in voting against the toll road lease.

Today, Smith acknowledges service is about the same, and the electronic tolling that began this week should be a plus.

But Smith says the state could have done that by raising tolls. He says it's bad policy to hand over a public asset to a private company.

Governor Mitch Daniels, who proposed and fought for the deal, has maintained privately-run firms like ITR Concession Company have more flexibility in running the road than the state. He says the deal turned the road from a money-loser for the state into a multibillion-dollar windfall.

Daniels suggests some opposition stems from a mistaken belief the state sold the road outright, rather than leasing the operating rights. He predicts what he calls "innocent confusion" will be replaced by excitement as more of the road projects funded by the deal break ground.

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