Efforts to improve the economy are a top concern throughout the nation and we are fortunate that Montgomery County has a solid foundation for future growth.

The county has approved land use plans for the Great Seneca Science Corridor (affectionately known by some as “Science City”), White Flint, Germantown, and Clarksburg; Gaithersburg has modified key portions of its land use plans to create higher density communities along transportation corridors where residents can live and work. The county has also expanded partnerships with Johns Hopkins University and the University System of Maryland with the goal of establishing a strong academic research hub to create a more educated workforce for the future and a culture of innovation.

Yet, the most significant challenge in realizing success with these plans is a steadfast commitment to providing the high quality infrastructure necessary to achieve the vision.

Along the I-270 Technology Corridor, the project critical for success is a high quality transit backbone provided by the Corridor Cities Transitway, which will create a more desirable and sustainable community for the future. The CCT is so critical to building successful communities that civic activists, elected leaders and businesses agreed to stage development in the area based on its funding and construction.

The county is waiting for the governor to select the mode of transit for the CCT, but county officials have officially recommended and envision a light rail line that will connect the communities from the Shady Grove Metro station to Clarksburg. Studies show that this mode will maximize both ridership and economic development efforts along its alignment to the benefit of the community. It is also the least expensive major transit project under development in Maryland.

The county’s Transit Task Force has the goal of identifying alternatives for a countywide, rapid transit system based on an innovative bus rapid transit model proposed by County Council member Marc Elrich.

If this system proves to be financially and operationally viable, it may make sense to incorporate existing transit efforts like the CCT and Purple Line to create a more comprehensive system — if the integrity and quality of those systems can be maintained. Unfortunately, new studies are being advocated and funded by some large property owners to explore establishing smaller interim projects like a “CCT-lite,” which would provide a much lower quality of service, but would likely allow some stages of development to proceed — thereby creating the worst of both worlds.

The cost of quality transportation projects is not new, nor is the need to encourage economic activity. However, a very conscious decision was made to stage development based on a light rail CCT. It was to create enough pressure through increased economic demand in the area that the beneficiaries (in this case, the state’s largest private employer, JHU, and the state’s most populous jurisdiction, Montgomery County) would be compelled to move the project forward.

If a ”CCT-lite” moves forward instead, it would lessen the demand for the full CCT, and it would not provide sufficient infrastructure to support new development, which would in turn hurt the long-term viability and future sustainability of the community.

We should seek creative alternatives for financing and implementing transportation, but we must ensure that projects are high quality to enable the vision of our county’s future sustainability and economic vitality to be realized. Shortchanging key transportation projects for short-lived, short-term benefits is short-sighted and wrong. The future plans for growth are solid, and the vision is strong. Let’s have the commitment to build quality infrastructure necessary for our future success as a community.

Michael Knapp and Robert Garagiola, Germantown

The writers are president of Orion BioStrategies and a state senator representing District 15, respectively.