Choosing which line should be postponed won't be easy, Horiuchi said, but getting voters on board to approve a sales tax for a statewide transportation system is worth it.

"If you are so parochial that you only want your little part done and nobody else, then the transportation system will not work," Horiuchi said. "You want to have a comprehensive transportation system. We've got to get this done."

If every county levied a quarter-cent sales-tax increase, Killpack said, that would raise about $100 million a year for transportation.

Scott Anderson, chief executive officer of Zions Bank, added that if something isn't done soon, the state's transportation problems could stifle economic growth.

"We need to act now. If we don't act now, we'll be sorry," Anderson said. "We must invest more in transportation — both public transit and highways — to avoid gridlock."

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com