Non-traditional funding may be answer to Isle transportation

Traffic gridlock is the outcry of the century. It's the No. 1 quality of life issue.

It is time for Hawai'i to step into the global market in search of alternative creative funding solutions for our transportation infrastructure needs. For example, several countries and nineteen states have used a non-traditional funding mechanism for building new roads. Call it the "out of the box" approach.

These innovators came to the conclusion that they could not rely on government to finance all of the new roads they planned for. Sound familiar? Why, then, aren't we using the talents, expertise and capital of the private sector to finance new road construction here in Hawai'i?

Imagine getting the roads we need where and when we want them. The solution? Have the state pass enabling legislation to permit itself the means to formulate public-private partnerships.

What is a public-private partnership? Simply put, it is a consortium of private investors coming together to fund a project. It can be used for the creation of toll roads. The best part is that the user pays for the toll road. Unlike rail, there is no need to increase or use taxes to fund, maintain or operate it. The state's role is to pass enabling legislation for these partnerships to become legitimate endeavors and to coddle the right-of-way process for any routes.

A funding consortium here in Hawai'i could be comprised of several giant companies whose objectives are to fund major projects such as expressways, turnpikes, bridges, tunnels and the like. Companies such as Derech Eretz Highways, a Swiss company, and Halcrow Group Ltd, a British company, are out there and are able to offer an alternative that caters to the individual motorist.

These for-profit companies recoup their investment through tolls. After a time, when the state gains ownership, the state then will have the option to remove the toll fees or continue to collect it as revenue for the state.

Toll roads are managed roads. Toll booths have been upgraded and use bar codes to collect payment. When using a toll road, your savings are your time, less wear and tear on your vehicle and less fuel spent idling.

Another positive aspect of building roads through these partnerships is that completion time for these projects is much faster — almost a third faster than a government contract. Public-private partnerships are completed within budget as opposed to government projects, which are historically underplanned, underbudgeted and piecemealed to death.

Transportation is the foundation of our economic growth. We need to increase capacity. Case in point, the recent rise in gasoline prices did not decrease the number of drivers or new car sales. We simply love our cars. They are without a doubt, the the most tried and true means to get from place to place in an efficient and timely manner.

Rail and more buses will help the situation, but the bottom line is that we need more roads. It is time to embrace public-private partnerships as a funding mechanism for our transportation needs.

Roads are never free. Road financing comes from a multitude of sources such as gasoline tax, property tax, general excise tax, federal funds, etc. With these partnerships, the user pays for the road's existence. This is a win-win situation for the state. Those who do not drive or who use public transportation are not taxed for something they do not use.

This month, I traveled to Athens, Greece, to seek funding in the global market and start project momentum for an underwater tunnel as an alternative route for the Leeward coast.

Would people pay a toll to save an hour or so? If it cuts commute time or distance, there is value. Those who do not see the value can continue using existing roads.

I have arranged for a presentation so people can ask questions about private-public partnerships. You want solutions — this is one of them.

Rep. Rida Cabanilla(D-42nd) represents the Waipahu, Ho-nouliuli and 'Ewa areas. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.