[duke3522]

Here in Indiana we just sold the Indiana toll road to foreign investors for $3+ billon USD. And what are we going to do with all those bucks. Build a lot of new roads some of which will be sold as new toll roads so the state can build even more roads to be sold.

I wonder what the owners of these companies are going to do when traffic begins to drop off or when folks just can’t afford the tolls and begin to use smaller state highways or back roads. Might the new owners demand that the state finds someway to force people to use the new toll roads.

But back to the subject. As other states follow Indiana’s lead the price of all road construction will rise as states bid against each other for raw materials.

[ohanian]

Q: Whose fault is it that the cost of road repair is rising?
A: It's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's asphalt.

[mattduke]

"Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying."
I wonder how much automobile traffic these investors are expecting: Yahoo

[clover]

I know... for once, Indiana might have gotten the better end of the deal here.

[rogerhb]

London Bridge was sold to an American years ago, apparently he thought he was buying Tower Bridge.

....and it was dissassembled and shipped to the US.

[Doly]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', 'L')ondon Bridge was sold to an American years ago, apparently he thought he was buying Tower Bridge.
....and it was dissassembled and shipped to the US.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Doly', 'M')ust have been quite a few years ago, because there isn't anybody here who remembers London Bridge being disassembled.

[katkinkate]

[quote="duke3522"]Here in Indiana we just sold the Indiana toll road to foreign investors for $3+ billon USD. And what are we going to do with all those bucks. Build a lot of new roads some of which will be sold as new toll roads so the state can build even more roads to be sold.....quote]

It's not just in Indiana.

Sale of toll roads.

[Kingcoal]

London Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', 'L')ondon Bridge is falling down,
Falling down, falling down,
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair Lady.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'L')AKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA—
In 1962, London Bridge was falling down. Built in 1831, the bridge couldn't handle the ever-increasing flow of traffic across the Thames River. The British government decided to put the bridge up for sale, and Robert McCulloch, Founder of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Chairman of McCulloch Oil Corporation, submitted the winning bid of $2,460,000.
More information:
Lake Havasu Visitors' Bureau
Lake Havasu State Park
Desert USA
The bridge was dismantled, and each stone was carefully marked. Everything was shipped 10,000 miles to Long Beach, California, and then trucked to Lake Havasu City. Reconstruction began on September 23, 1968, with a ceremony including the Lord Mayor of London, who laid the cornerstone. On October 10, 1971, the bridge was dedicated.
"Hundreds of thousands of people come here every year to see the bridge," said Sue Barone of the Lake Havasu Chamber of Commerce. "I've lived here 18 years, and I've watched the whole thing develop. When I first got here, there wasn't much more than the bridge and a shop or two. Now, just look."
Lake Havasu City, which got its start as an Army Air Corps rest camp during World War II, now has over 1000 businesses, two newspapers, and a college. Remember that the next time a man comes up to you and offers to sell you a used bridge.

[turmoil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ohanian', 'Q'): Whose fault is it that the cost of road repair is rising?



A: It's not your fault, it's not my fault, it's asphalt.

[duke3522]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('clover', 'I') know... for once, Indiana might have gotten the better end of the deal here.

[PrairieMule]

Here in Texas, man of our new highways are being converted to tollroads. The tollroads are then managed by a Spanish company.

[emersonbiggins]

You're a moneyed foreign investor.
Would you rather...
a) keep buying trillions in home mortgage notes, many of which will see/are seeing negative return now or in the future?
...or...
b) buy the roads that connect the worthless mortgage notes, so at least there will be a favorable return on investment, barring sudden economic/civilization collapse?
Remember, roads existed long before suburbia.
My only problem with buying roads is that companies and governments are all too cozy with using eminent domain these days. I'd hate to see a for-profit toll road go through my house. (well, any road for that matter...)

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dreamtwister', 'Y')es, you read that right. the bridge stood damaged for 544 years.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('emersonbiggins', 'b')uy the roads that connect the worthless mortgage notes, so at least there will be a favorable return on investment, barring sudden economic/civilization collapse?

[Dreamtwister]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dreamtwister', 'Y')es, you read that right. the bridge stood damaged for 544 years.

[smiley]

Snow crash - anyone?

[emersonbiggins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', 'A')nd you could demand the toll in a currency other than the dollar?
Rates:
Car - One quarter ounce of silver.
Truck - One ounce of silver
SUV - One ounce of gold