Regulatory Framework for Public-Private Partnerships in Roads

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When considering to engage the private sector into road projects, the host country’s legal and regulatory framework needs to be examined. Specific laws may be required to allow the public sector to contract with private parties to perform functions normally undertaken by the government and existing sector-specific policies, laws and regulations will also have a significant bearing on the structuring of a public-private partnership (PPP) road project (e.g. laws and regulations governing the right of the private operator to charge users). Bilateral or multilateral international transport agreements can become relevant for cross-border road projects.
Listed below are sample laws for road, highway and bridge infrastructure projects (providing for PPPs, tolling etc.), sample tolling policies as well as links to international transport agreements.
Ireland Poland United Kingdom Canada United States California: California Toll Road Law India South Africa A number of countries have introduced toll roads to allow for cost recovery of capital costs and maintenance. Some of these toll roads will be privately financed and tolling will be carried out by the private sector. In other cases the government itself uses tolls to generate funds to pay for the infrastructure or to manage traffic flow. Where tolling of users is considered as providing the most appropriate means for recovering some or all of the costs of a significant investment in new highway infrastructure, governments typically develop guidelines or policies for use of tolls. The World Bank online resource Toll Roads and Concessions provides a summary of tolling policies around the world. A number of examples of tolling policies and guidelines from different jurisdictions are set out below: Canada Ireland India Serbia South Africa United StatesSample Laws and Regulations
Europe and Central Asia
North America
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sample Tolling Policies
International Transport Agreements
Updated: October 10, 2021