A report on the Public-Private Transportation Act draws lessons from the successes and failures of two major state projects.

As gas tax revenues dwindle, the commonwealth is becoming dangerously dependent on public-private partnerships negotiated by governors with little public transparency or oversight. And term-limited executives can’t always be depended upon to make good deals for Virginians who will have to live with the consequences for decades.

A new report by the nonprofit Southern Environmental Law Center warns that Virginia needs to do a better job at weighing the costs of privatization against traditional public procurement for road construction. The latter is usually cheaper, provided there’s money available.

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