a toll bridge (or two) over the River Ohio

Along the lines of my recent posting on private funding of roads, this was on the the front page of this morning's C-J:

Kentucky Senate President David Williams (R) is proposing legislation that would allow more options for funding the two Ohio River bridges in Louisville. One of these options would allow state local governments the ability to lease roads to private companies.

"It's an attempt to come to grips with the issue that federal highway dollars are being stretched very thinly, that there won't be assistance by the federal government to build -- in any significant way -- to build bridges over the Ohio River" at Louisville, said Williams.

Mayor Abramson seems to be quite interested in the idea:

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson has spoken with Williams about funding the new bridges in recent months, said Chad Carlton, an Abramson spokesman. Carlton said Williams' proposal could help speed up the bridges project and reduce its cost.

"The mayor certainly appreciates having more tools, more options," Carlton said. "That's what he spoke about … back in January when he put this at the top of the agenda in terms of priorities for the community."