As Bill Clinton acknowledged in 1995, “The era of big government is over.” However, society still needs to make investments in huge infrastructure projects like highways, dams, and cultural institutions. When developing these big projects while maintaining a smaller government, the solution is increasingly to turn to “public-private partnerships,” to which both government and private enterprise bring their unique advantages.

For example, the state of Texas has planned a new road-building project that would cost an amazing $184 billion and cover the state with 4,000 miles of toll roads, some of them a quarter of a mile wide. It will be built entirely with private money, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

Already, farmers and others whose land stands in the way of the project are up in arms. But in the light of recent Supreme Court decisions it is highly unlikely that they will be able to block the development, especially in light of the millions of jobs the project will create.

Announced in 2002 by Governor Rick Perry, the so-called Trans-Texas Corridor is the biggest transportation plan since the American interstate highway system, which was the largest public works project ever undertaken in the history of civilization.

The Trans-Texas Corridor will be more than just a road. It will feature 10 lanes for cars and trucks, with a speed limit of 85 miles per hour. It will also include six railroad tracks as well as pipelines for oil, natural gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications.

These partnerships between government and private business are the wave of the future, and dozens of states are rushing to capitalize on their promise of jobs, money, and better public infrastructure. Within the next 10 years, some 10,000 miles of new roads are expected to be built through such deals.

California is planning a highway from San Diego to the Mexican border using such an alliance. Colorado is building a Denver beltway using private money. And Virginia is building a light rail system using the same approach.

Many are watching the Texas model closely, because it is the largest and most ambitious project to date. The private developers of the toll road will, for example, have the exclusive right to locate the off-ramps near their own gas stations, restaurants, and hotels.

In cities like Columbus, Texas, there...