Like the segment into Davis and Weber counties, commuter rail into Utah County would be designed to shuttle passengers into downtown Salt Lake. Stops could include Payson, Orem, Provo, American Fork or Pleasant Grove. In Salt Lake County, stops could include Draper and Murray, in addition to Salt Lake.

Planners say commuter rail will be similar to TRAX, with trains scheduled every 20 minutes. Once all phases are built, it will extend 120 miles from Brigham City to Payson.

"We don't want to build this stuff just because," said UTA spokesman Justin Jones. "This is truly about what we are going to be leaving our children in the next 10 to 20 years. Are we going to give them the burden of congestion?"

Point noted, say Utah County leaders. But while the concept is supported, they question UTA's methods to obtain funding for commuter rail.

There's also debate about cost and need.

Bus ridership in Utah County has increased 85 percent over the past five years, according to UTA. Why spend millions for commuter rail if there are cheaper alternatives? asked Rep. Jeff Alexander, R-Provo.

"I would much rather see us with a continued bus system where we don't have the huge infrastructure expense," he said.

The cost to build commuter rail in Davis and Weber counties is estimated at $582 million. Once ready for construction in Salt Lake and Utah counties, that number will likely go up.

Still, there are no guarantees, said White. UTA is still conducting preliminary studies for Utah County commuter rail. Why ask for taxpayer dollars if nothing is concrete? Why commit funds if Salt Lake County hasn't committed to fund its portion of the project?

Roads should be a bigger priority, said White, because that's where dollars can be used without delay.

"Until we have a declaration (or approval) from the federal government, until we have something we can build, why should we be giving UTA $12 million to $15 million a year and get nothing in return?" he asked.

Darrell Cook, executive director of the Mountainland Association of Governments, said preliminary studies show that commuter rail, I-15 expansion, light rail and bus rapid transit will all be needed to solve future transportation problems in Utah County.

The Governor's Office of Planning and Budget lists several Utah County cities as some of the fastest-growing in the state. The county's population will more than double by 2030, according to Cook.

"Doing nothing is probably the most costly approach we could make," he said. "We will lose economically. We will lose in every way you can imagine because the conditions will become so intolerable, you'll have out-migration."

Inglish agrees. But Utah County "controls their own destiny," he said.