Pennsylvania needs money — lots of money — to maintain and improve its roads. So, as a possible solution to the estimated $1.7 billion annual shortage of available funding to maintain the state's roads, bridges and public transportation systems, Gov. Ed Rendell is exploring the idea of selling a long-term lease for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The idea of leasing public roads to private companies is a relatively new development, but more states and large cities are exploring the option.

In a deal approved about two years ago, Chicago was paid $1.8 billion for a 99-year lease on the tolled eight-mile Chicago Skyway. Earlier this year, Indiana earned $3.8 billion for a 75-year lease on the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road.

Although the idea of getting a multibillion-dollar payment from a private (and, generally, international) company for the right to operate the turnpike might ultimately make sense, it also raises questions.

If a private company is willing to pay billions of dollars for the right to operate a toll road, that company clearly plans to make a profit on its investment. And if the company can make back its investment and, beyond that, still make a profit, why can't the state?

One possible answer might be that politicians feel that toll hikes create political risk. So, the thinking must go, if the tolls are increased by a private company, politicians can avoid the heat.

Another possibility is that a private company would add more eating and shopping options along the road as a way to increase revenue.

Or, perhaps more significantly, it might be that a private company can manage maintenance expenses better and reduce operating costs for the toll road.

Possibly because it's still a relatively rare occurrence, state officials don't know what a turnpike lease is worth. Rendell referred to reports that suggest the state could earn between $2 billion and $30 billion from privatizing the turnpike.

That's quite a range, so to gain a better understanding of what the potential lease might bring to the state, Rendell is asking for something like a prebid document known as "expressions of interest."

The financial gains and viability of boosting state transportation spending by selling the rights to operate the turnpike to a private company might become more clear fairly quickly, because the deadline for interested companies to submit documents is Dec. 22.

One reason the trend toward privatizing toll roads is receiving more attention is that the gas tax revenues going into the Federal Highway Trust Fund are not keeping up with repair costs, and the part of the trust fund devoted to roads is projected to run out of money in 2009.

The idea of privatizing the Pennsylvania Turnpike is a relatively new idea. It is something being tried in a few states and is being looked at by a few others. And it might make sense as a way to fund the billions of dollars of additional investment needed to maintain and upgrade Pennsylvania's ailing transportation infrastructure.

While he's looking at ideas to raise money and is willing to follow the lead of other states, maybe Rendell will consider another, not-so-new privatization idea, and get the state out of the liquor business by selling the state store system for the estimated $1 billion that such a transaction could produce.

More needs to be known about the details of selling a long-term lease on the turnpike. But privatization is an idea worth exploring — whether for a toll road, liquor sales or other government-run operations.