Infrastructure innovation: Turning public works into private ventures

It is widely acknowledged by government, professional organizations such as the ASCE and the investigative press that the USA's infrastructure systems have deteriorated to the point where this country's future economic competitiveness is in jeopardy. Once the envy of the world and arguably the backbone of its economic expansion and supremacy, the United States' infrastructure systems have begun to resemble, in some respects, the third world's.; Considering the enormity of the stakes, this should be a modern day call to arms, but so far the response by stakeholders (private companies and the public at large) has been anemic. Even elected officials, who are entrusted with safeguarding our nation's future, have ignored the warnings by undertaking projects that are superficial and inadequate; ongoing assessments of infrastructure systems show their conditions to be worsening, not improving. Reversing or even arresting the decline of infrastructure systems, thereby ensuring the USA's continued economic preeminence and its high standard of living, will require creative solutions and visionary leadership from the engineering community.; As the root causes of the decline can be found in the USA's rigid, federally controlled decision-making process, this paper looks globally for solutions to the problem at both the micro- and macroeconomic levels. Recommendations will be made, based on case studies and the available literature, as to which infrastructure project delivery systems are "best of breed." The author will also investigate how privatizing infrastructure systems at the margins can lead to improvements throughout those systems. Ultimately, this paper will show that a partial privatization of roadway infrastructure systems is a critical piece of the overall solution to this complex problem.