Impact of Public-Private Partnerships on Road Safety and Maintenance at Toll Plazas: A Study of J&K Region

Abstract

Public-Private Partnerships have become an increasingly vital approach for addressing infrastructure deficits, particularly in developing regions where financial and technical constraints hinder the provision of quality public services. In India, the adoption of PPPs in road infrastructure development has seen a notable surge, including in union territories like Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where improving road connectivity and safety is a strategic development priority. This paper is a critical analysis of how the implementation of PPP has affected road safety and maintenance standards in the toll plazas within J&K. Appreciating that the safety issue is a two-pronged concern alongside the requirement of good infrastructure, the present study takes a descriptive-analytical research technique. The study uses structured questionnaires to collect data from 100 respondents with various demographic user groups. The results indicate that PPP-managed toll plazas are perceived to have high safety standards, high visibility of signs, regular maintenance programs, and high user satisfaction, as opposed to plazas that are traditionally run. There were also several differences across the user groups, mainly in terms of enhanced awareness and expectations of the toll operations among the daily and weekly users. Also, regression findings conclude that PPP efficiency is a robust indicator of better safety and maintenance, and timely offers overall satisfaction among commuters. The current study is the first of its kind in the field of sparse literature on the PPP performance in the region of J&K and offers practical lessons to policymakers in the field of infrastructure who need to work to ensure an environment-friendly and secure road transport system.