Southern Nevada's explosive growth in the last two decades has created a valley that's ripe with opportunity. Southern Nevada residents, both longtime and those brand-new to the valley, have experienced economic opportunities that few other communities ever see. Whether you are a construction worker, an accountant or a gaming industry employee, Southern Nevada is the place where you can prosper.

Those opportunities also come with challenges. A city with such a vibrant economy attracts people ‘ and people, especially here in the West, like cars. Approximately 100 new cars are added to Southern Nevada roadways every day. Why can't we keep up with growth and simply pave enough roads to accommodate those new cars? What would that mean here in Southern Nevada?

Keeping up would require us to add 2,500 feet of asphalt every day to build roads for those new cars. With each new car requiring roughly five new parking spaces in the valley, we'll need 53 square miles of new parking by 2019. Those new roads, parking spaces and cars equal longer drives, more expensive commutes and a frustrating dependence on the automobile.

That doesn't have to be the case. This summer, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) broke ground on the ACE rapid transit system. ACE will connect the northwest part of the valley with Henderson, North Las Vegas, southwest Las Vegas, downtown and the Strip with fast, efficient and comfortable rapid transit service. The first phase, the ACE Downtown Connector, will open in 2009, followed shortly by the ACE Boulder Highway line.

The system will be similar to the RTC's MAX line, which operates on Las Vegas Boulevard North. The vehicles look more like a train than a bus but have the freedom to operate on any street. Dedicated transit lanes will allow the vehicles to travel without competing with other vehicles, frequent service will mean never waiting long for a ride, and limited stops will make the trip fast. The system will have the speed of light rail at just a fraction of the cost.

The RTC is also investing in park and ride lots, which will make the system convenient for riders. People who don't live close to a transit stop will be able to drive a short distance to a park and ride, grab a cup of coffee and take a fast transit ride to work. Wireless Internet access will offer an easy way to catch up on e-mail or the news.

Riders can expect an upscale, convenient experience that will make driving their own cars to some places in the valley unnecessary. We know that the system won't replace the personal car for all trips. But it has the ability to provide fast, reliable service to those willing to take a break from driving, even for just a few days each week.

As one of the few agencies in the country responsible for both transit and transportation planning, the RTC is also focused on building new roadways and making improvements to existing roads. Work is progressing on the 215 Beltway, where crews are building out the full freeway in the areas now served by frontage roads. The RTC is also studying corridors for additional superarterials, which allow traffic to travel for long distances without being stopped by traffic lights. A study to create a superarterial along stretches of Sahara Avenue is in its final stages, and similar studies are under way on Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue. These plans to improve road capacity are ambitious and necessary.

The challenge we face today isn't how to build more roads or how to move more people. The issue at hand is how we pay for those projects. The cost of building roads has risen sharply because of increased prices of asphalt, cement and steel.

Voters have twice approved ballot questions to fund transportation and that money has been used to fund the Las Vegas Beltway, among other major roadway projects. But with construction costs rising roughly 20 percent a year, the money voters approved simply doesn't build what it did just a few years ago. That may require an additional ballot question in the next few years to fund future transportation projects, giving voters an opportunity to decide whether additional transportation projects fit within the community's budget.

The RTC has identified solutions that will make transportation easier in the valley. Future traffic congestion will not be caused by a failure to plan; it will be caused by an inability to implement those plans because of a lack of money. The real cost to all of us will be in the time we spend sitting in traffic.

Transportation solutions are important to the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and the ULI Las Vegas District Council is looking at the best way to move people in, out of, and around our valley. By having a tremendous resource of information at ULI regarding infrastructure, financing and design, we hope to help facilitate discussions that lead us in a productive direction. With a new regional ULI office in Los Angeles that will focus on issues facing Western states, primarily infrastructure, we will have mechanisms in place to benefit from best practices in other cities.

The Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research institute, is nationally regarded for providing leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 36,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.