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January 1, 2009
A second chance for commuter rail

Harold W. Barley | Executive Director, Metroplan Orlando
Orlando Sentinel

Central Florida is at a crossroad. As the region's population grows, we are faced with limited space for more roadways, growing congestion and transportation funding that can't keep pace with the price tag to maintain roads and build even more highway capacity.

It's a picture that became clear a decade ago as local leaders worked to create a more balanced transportation system, starting with light rail. Federal funding was secure, until a single county commission vote derailed the project. Today, the city of Charlotte, N.C., is capitalizing on the rail system once planned for Central Florida.

This year, we have a second chance. Following unanimous local approval and strong federal and state support, our Central Florida commuter-rail project faces one more hurdle in Tallahassee -- legislative approval of liability provisions required to finalize it.

Economically, the project makes sense. Commuter rail creates new transportation capacity at a fraction of the cost of building roads. The $615 million capital cost is shared, leveraging more than $300 million in federal funds. If this project derails, that money again goes elsewhere.

So, important decisions will be made this year. Will we be forward-thinking and create transportation options for a growing population? Or, will we give that opportunity, once again, to another state?