Even if both of those problems are solved, the County Commission, some mayors and Rep. Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, aren't convinced commuter rail is the best way to solve Utah County's transportation woes. They have hired a national firm to conduct a study of alternatives.

Commissioner Jerry Grover said studies he's seen so far indicate commuter rail would only take 3 percent to 4 percent of traffic off I-15.

"This is going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars," Alexander said. "We wanted some different views. If we're just going to see passengers move from buses to commuter rail, is it worth all that money?"

The study is expected to be completed before the end of the year, well before the legislative session begins in January.

Salt Lake County also has to finish funding commuter rail from Sandy to its border with Utah County.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the legislative session in March, transportation projects will have to be accepted by Utah County residents in the near future, Utah County Commissioner Larry Ellertson told business leaders Thursday at the annual Utah Valley Leadership Summit sponsored by the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce.

"At some point in time, we as voters are going to be confronted with a decision on how to pay for these projects," Ellertson said.

The reason is that travel on Utah roads is growing twice as fast as the state's population.

"We can't build these (roads) fast enough to keep up with the growing demand," UDOT executive director John Njord said.

Over the past decade, the number of vehicle trips on Utah roads is up 94 percent, and population is up 50 percent. On the other hand, transportation capacity has grown by just 5 percent.

That gap is Utah's "congestion quotient," Herbert said after Thursday's panel discussion. Herbert and Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. have scheduled a statewide transportation summit for Oct. 14 to gather statewide input.

"Hopefully that will lead to a transportation initiative by the end of this year that finally will develop a functional and comprehensive transportation plan for the state of Utah for generations to come," Herbert said.

Bramble hopes the new proposals and discussions create solutions that begin to close that gap.

"It looks like we'll have some opportunities to build consensus going into the legislature," he said.

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E-mail: twalch@desnews.com