Predicting the New Decade

Transportation

BEST CASE: The Capital Region finally gets electrified high-speed rail links to the rest of the state.

Manhattan is now just an hour away, funneling new companies and residents to the Capital Region. The high-speed line stops at Albany's airport, bringing travelers and encouraging airlines to ramp up their long-haul service to the West Coast and Europe.

Meanwhile, a light-rail system links the Capital Region's four major cities, connecting downtowns, airports and suburbs. Cars are more efficient, and drivers recharge their electric cars at light rail stations.

WORST CASE: New York state's proposals for high-speed rail receive no federal funding and aren't built, and state-subsidized passenger rail lines to Montreal and Rutland, Vt., are eliminated by bean counters in New York and Vermont.

Meanwhile, rising fuel and security costs make air travel more expensive, and fewer Capital Region residents board trains -- isolating the area from the world economy.

Highway congestion worsens, and it sometimes takes two hours to drive from Colonie to Clifton Park on the Northway -- a major blow to the region's productivity. The now-demolished Lake Champlain bridge proves to be an omen, and many such spans close because of poor maintenance from a cash-strapped state.

Via the Albany Times Union.