By 2035, the trip from Fuquay-Varina to Raleigh Durham International Airport could increase from 40 minutes to 90 minutes, according to projections from consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates.

The consultants were hired by the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the state transportation department to perform an 18-month comprehensive transportation study that includes Apex, Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs.

"The reality is that you are going to be traveling more miles and spending more time to do it," said Mike Rutkowski, with Kimley-Horne. "We are not trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom. What this shows is that we are not able to keep up with congestion by simply putting pavement on the road."

A typical commute to work in the Triangle area will increase from about eight minutes to 35 minutes with existing and planned infrastructure upgrades by 2035, according to the study's projections.

Part of the reason is large tracts of land are undeveloped in Wake and Harnett counties. About 60 percent of Wake County and 85 percent of Harnett County are undeveloped.

The Southwest Area Study covers about 230 miles of road and takes an integrated approach that considers land use, development, environment and transportation simultaneously.

At this point, the study is in its early stages and seekinginput from residents. In a few months, the consultants expect to come back and present more findings.

"We can't build everything you want," said Senior Planner Stephen Stansbery, with Kimley-Horn. "We're looking for a sustainable solution."

It's a lesson about a dozen area residents learned the hard way during a workshop May 25. Residents were split into groups and given about 40 "chips" representing half-mile stretches of road improvements and given a tight budget.

The exercise forced residents to prioritize. Some road improvements were worth more than others. For example, streetscape and traffic calming projects were cheaper at four chips than adding an express bus service that cost eight chips.

Commuter Cindy Minter was quick to dive in and give Fuquay-Varina Assistant Planning Director Danny Johnson a piece of her mind.

"Going through your downtown is a hassle," said Minter, who lives in Garner and takes U.S. 401 through town to get to her job at Lillington. "I want to be careful and not seem negative, but there are a lot of stoplights downtown and traffic congestion, and we're not even talking about just during rush hour."

Minter said she avoids downtown whenever possible. She said that even the alternative, Judd Parkway, gets backed up.

Her group chose to focus on improving existing roads and widening U.S. 401. And it proved to be costly.

"We turned in buses and tried to get more roads and guess what? We really didn't get that many more roads," Johnson said.

Willow Springs resident Lynn Marshbanks' group took the opposite approach: taking people off the roads. The group opted for express bus service options to work centers, such as Raleigh and Research Triangle Park.

"I'm very pleased that we have so many transit options," she said. "Congestion could be improved by some commuter options."

Her group declined the expensive commuter rail, questioning whether enough riders would support the service.

Stansbery wasn't surprised by the diversity of the plans. "What I'm hearing from folks is that they are identifying corridors that are important to them," Stansbery said. "One group tried to put in new roads to deal with congestion, another group said we can't build ourselves out of congestion so why even try and focus on getting people off the roads and another group took a hybrid approach."