Neither the article above, nor the video, from this published economist actually discuss the financial viability of this premise. Does that seem odd to anyone else? How, pray tell, is this patch work of corporations going to finance these roads? Will they all be toll roads? How will goods be transported? Will they be exempt? What will be the impact on the price of goods be, if every road is a toll road? One might say, “Oh, let the market regulate itself of course.” The premise is that of freedom and choice, but what choice will people/companies have but to pay? I mean you can’t not go to work. You can’t not check in on your elderly mother. Businesses can’t create a viable business model if at any point they may have to reroute their goods around unanticipated price changes or bankrupt companies that have abandon large swaths of road. Of course the answer to this will probably be similar to the video where the word “maybe” is repeated incessantly or the phrase, “I don’t know,” will pop up again and again. This, in and of itself, is in essence saying that there is no real plan here. No economically viable alternative. Sorry but isn’t that an economists first task given what he is proposing?

Furthermore, if private roads and toll roads are so superior why has google maps had an avoid toll roads button for as long as it has existed? I have been involved in OEM sales to GM, Ford and Chrysler and have traveled extensively in the U.S and abroad. I always avoid toll roads; and not because I am cheap. The Pennsylvania turnpike is notoriously dangerous with cattle shoots for miles. In case you don’t know what I mean by cattle shoot, as you travel there is a semi on your right 3 feet away (depending on how much sleep he has had) and a concrete barrier to its right as well as one to your left and these are less than a foot and a half away at times and there is no shoulder for miles, and these “construction” project lasts years (in the case of Penn Turnpike 7+) without completion. Chicago toll roads are still somewhat congested and often in worse repair than the public highways. Then there is the matter of unneeded stops to pay tolls increasing the wear and tear on your vehicle, and fuel consumption, in addition to paying for the time on the road. 

As to your photo examples, it is just as easy to site private roads in disrepair as it is to site public roads: http://www.the-signal.com/archives/42367/, http://o4.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/600×450/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/66ab2ef578702b0c2553da588e7bab29…and there are also plenty of examples of the public bailing out failed private toll roads: http://satollparty.com/post/?p=667, www.10news.com/news/28712446/detail.html, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_State_Route_267. Privatization just isn’t always the answer…wraltechwire.com/business/tech_wire/news/blogpost/8008913/www.10news.com/

The logistics of the national highway system are enormous. set aside cranes and steam rollers and jackhammers concrete cutters other expensive pieces of machinery, skilled laborers, engineers, and the need to regulate traffic flow, let just look at raw materials and the dump trucks needed to move it. Just the procurement of steel, asphalt, gravel, sand, and salt is a monuments tasks and then getting it from one place to where it is needed across an entire continent is a monuments task. I just mention this because there is no patchwork solution for the U.S. highway system and  I am curious as to what company, that would be up to the task, should be put in control of this national asset. Halliburton? Enron? Exxon? IBM? GE? Berkshire Hathaway? AT&T (Ma Bell)? Hopefully, I don’t need to remind anyone of the amoral practices of the above companies or the horrendous conditions of the corporate towns in the roaring 20′s. What would prevent them from using their control of the highway system to make life difficult on their competitors?

The problem with libertarians is, they take deregulation too far. This is why Ron Paul is considered a nut job and marginalized, even when he is obviously the best candidate (republican or democrat). No one wants to live in a world where chemical waste is disposed of in children’s playgrounds, where lake Erie catches on fire, where things like the love canal occur. Honestly, there are terrible, aggravating and disappointing companies that flourish and survive. Most of these companies benefit from near-monopolies. The only potential check to balance these corporations is government. The biggest threat to western society is the influence the private sector exerts over the government and vice versa.

The premise is far from ludicrous.