Private Funding for Public Infrastructure

Private investors in the Indiana Toll Road have taken a bath. In April, a $2.5 billion deal to lease Chicago's Midway Airport to a private operator fell through because investors could not secure funding. From highways to airports, the economic downturn has made private financing hard to come by.

What does it all mean for future privatization efforts? Are Public Private Partnerships off the table?

Transportation expert C. Kenneth Orski weighs in on the question in his column below. What do you think? Are PPP's dead? Or do you believe, like Orski, that reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated?