The Progress of Liberty

I continue my response to Mr. Jetton’s critique of my essay, “How to Privatize the Roads: The Mechanisms and Benefits of Road Privatization.”

Mr. Jetton writes: “I think there are some other differences I didn’t think of earlier between the Roman roads that Mr. Stolyarov praises and the Chicago North Shore roads he criticizes.  Have the former been subject to the temperature extremes that the latter are subject to? Have the former been subject to the tons of salt that the latter are subject to? Roads deteriorate due to these things, too.”

As evidence to back up his claim that poor weather conditions might be responsible for poor quality of roads more so than government intervention, Mr. Jetton cites a survey of truckers regarding road conditions. He writes:

“Per this site and based on survey responses of more than 400 truckers, the best and worst roads are:
WORST ROADS
1. Louisiana
2. Pennsylvania
3. California
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
BEST ROADS
1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Virginia

Another trucker site says, “It’s no secret that Louisiana’s swampy terrain makes road building in some areas difficult.”

Several variables have a role in road quality. Still, note that the best states are in the south, where the roads aren’t subject to the freezing temperatures, snow, and salt that occur in northern states. Texas has a lot of road mileage between cities, which don’t get a lot of traffic and would probably affect a trucker’s rating.”

The issue I have with Mr. Jetton’s claim is that many of the data he cites actually contradict it. A plausible explanation can be given for poor weather in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan contributing to poor road quality there – but California? California is known for its temperate, spring-like climate during the majority of the year. Surely, roads there would not need to be salted extensively, nor would there be the kind of swampiness that might contribute to poor road quality in Louisiana.

Moreover, Florida is known for a similarly swampy climate to that of Louisiana, yet Florida has the second-best roads according to the survey Mr. Jetton cites, while Louisiana has the worst. If weather cannot account for these differences, then something else must. I argue that the differences in institutional conditions in each of these states play a significant factor, though I grant that they are not the only factor. As in all matters in life, a variety of influences affect any given outcome. I do claim, however, that all other things held constant, privatizing roads anywhere would result in significant upfront and long-term improvements in road longevity and quality.

Additional doubts are cast on the contention that weather is a primary determinant of road quality by some further data in the survey Mr. Jetton cites. For instance, the survey rates the following five roads as the worst in the country:

“WORST ROAD

1. I-10 Louisiana
2. I-80 Pennsylvania
3. I-40 Arkansas
4. I-5 California
5. I-40 Oklahoma”

Once again, the California road’s poor quality cannot be explained due to poor weather, nor can the poor quality of I-40 in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a dry, temperate climate without significant extremes of temperature during the winter nor significant humidity during the summer.

Where poor weather does play a factor in road quality, private builders will take cognizance of this fact and will vary the composition of the road surface depending on what materials are more likely to withstand the weather conditions that are likely to occur in a given area. They are also more likely than government officials to experiement with new, innovative solutions to road deterioration due to weather. Government officials are likely to stick to already known, “tried and true” formulas that are imperfect but do not have the risk associated with novelty. Indeed, regulations on the composition of “public” roads might restrict what materials can be used or experimented with in road construction, while private entrepreneurs will have much more flexibility and a strong incentive to innovate their way out of any persistent quality problems.

Sincerely,
Gennady Stolyarov II

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