State Rep. Mike Krusee, Travis County Commissioner Karen Sonleitner, Mayor Gary Nelon of Georgetown, Mayor Ray Sanders of Lockhart, Mayor Eric Carlson of Elgin, City of Austin Council Member and Capital Metro Board Member Daryl Slusher, Capital Metro Chairman Lee Walker, Greater Austin Chamber Chairman Kirk Watson and Chamber Vice Chair for Transportation Elizabeth Christian are just a few of the community leaders who will lead a delegation to the nation's capitol next Tuesday (March 1).

In all, 30 Central Texas elected officials along with business and community leaders and members of the Greater Austin Chamber will take part in the trip aimed at securing federal funds for projects important to the future of the Central Texas region.

"This trip is essential to getting the attention of national lawmakers who are currently deciding which transportation projects in Central Texas will receive additional funding," said Chamber Chair Kirk Watson of Watson, Bishop, London and Brophy. "We have meetings scheduled with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Senator John Cornyn, Central Texas Members of Congress and various members of the Transportation and Appropriations committees to discuss the immediate and future needs of our region."

Throughout the three-day trip, the delegation will focus its efforts on the following issues:

• Funding to continue State Highway 130 from Austin Bergstrom International Airport to Seguin ($23 million over a series of years). The portion now under construction only carries traffic around Austin to south of the airport.
• Federal assistance in relocating the bulk of Union Pacific freight traffic away from Austin's Mopac Boulevard to a parallel corridor to ease motor vehicle traffic congestion on MoPac. This move would require significant financial investment at the local, state and federal level.
• Securing a 50 percent federal funding match ($30 million over a series of years) for Capital Metro commuter rail as well as funding for buses and facilities and the Rapid Bus Project.
• A fair share of funding for Texas highways. Currently, Texas pays more in gas tax then it gets back. The delegation will advocate change to the formula.

"The Greater Austin Chamber's Opportunity Austin initiative clearly identifies transportation as being fundamental to economic development in the region," said Chamber Vice Chair for Transportation Elizabeth Christian of Elizabeth Christian Public Relations. "If we intend to attract and retain the talented people we will need for business and industry in our region, we must address this important quality of life issue."

Opportunity Austin, now in its second year, is a five-year, five-county economic development initiative to create 72,000 jobs and a $14 billion positive economic impact on the economy. Other regional transportation issues the Greater Austin Chamber will be working on in 2005 include ensuring adequate east/west connectivity from IH-35 to SH 130 and improved, more accurate signage leading from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to downtown.