For Immediate Release

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Daisy Singh, 202.857.1200, daisysingh@highways.org

American Highway Users Alliance Warns Against Dismembering Public Highway Network

(WASHINGTON, DC) February 9, 2007 - Today, the American Highway Users Alliance joined forces with a number of groups to form "Americans for a Strong National Highway Network." The coalition will provide a powerful voice for motorists and businesses who want a robust, seamless national highway system and are concerned with proposals that may take steps to dismember the public road network into privately-operated toll roads.

A number of States are considering road lease deals for 75 to 99 years, in order to generate quick up-front cash from foreign and domestic investors. State Governors are then free to use the "new-found" cash for any purpose, while captive road users are left paying automatically escalating tolls for decades. The lease deals even include provisions that restrict life-saving capacity improvements on "competing" public roads.

Highway Users President and CEO Greg Cohen commented, "The recent interest in public-private partnerships should be weighed carefully. There are some excellent proposals that serve the public good. But citizens need to watch out for the proposals developed for only one purpose: making lots of money. Under the worst of these deals, highway users and the public are ignored or purposely locked-out from negotiations while politicians focus on filling state-coffers with billions in fast cash. As part of these deals, brokerage firms charge massive transaction fees and private road operators earn massive profits over time by scheduling increasing tolls and opposing competition.

Cohen continued, "Government officials need to put their constituents first. The publicly owned and financed road system serves motorists' interests and must be expanded. If the public interest is fully considered, private investment can supplement taxes that fund new roads, express lanes, and traffic bottleneck bypasses. But critical review from highway users is essential to make sure the public interest is well-served."

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The American Highway Users Alliance represents motorists, bus companies, truckers, RV enthusiasts, motorcyclists and a broad cross-section of businesses that depend on safe and efficient highways to transport their families, customers, employees, and products. Highway Users members pay taxes that finance transportation spending programs and advocate public policies that dedicate those taxes to improved highway safety and mobility.