The Omaha region is staring at a $4 billion shortfall in transportation spending over the next 20 years.That's the conclusion of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency -- or MAPA -- in a 2017 report. The federal government makes the organization study long-term transportation needs and the funding sources for them."We don't have the ability to keep up with all the growth in terms of an infrastructure standpoint," said Greg Youell, MAPA's executive director.The cash crunch is a problem when you consider all the growth the region has experienced, and it's coming at a cost you can feel right now."It does seem like the traffic jams are getting worse, that traffic is taking longer, rush hour is getting longer," said Youell.The transportation problem has caught the attention of businesses, Omaha's city hall and community groups."What worked 10 years ago isn't going to work today, and it certainly isn't going to work 20 years from now," said Jeff Kutash.He runs the Peter Kiewit Foundation and has studied the transportation issue in cities across the country.Kutash knows in 2019, Omaha is at a crossroads."Unless we proactively address transportation, our quality of life goes down," he said.Think about spending more time in your car than with your family. Clogged streets could make the air quality unhealthy. A shortage of drivers could force bus routes to cancel."It's one of the few investments we can make as a community or as a city or government agency that really can connect dots," explained Mike Piernicky, a transportation engineer at local firm Olsson's Omaha office.Piernicky isn't talking just about literal dots on a map, but also those dots on the road map to a stronger community. Studies show investment in transportation leads to less stress on the way to work, to economic equality as access to jobs grows, and it also helps developers attract new businesses and talent."Investments in transit, in roads, and in maintenance benefit us all," regardless of where you might live in the region the engineer said.For years, many regional leaders have expressed concern about Omaha's ability to compete with cities across the country. Much of that concern is shared behind closed doors.Kutash is one of the first to say it out loud, publicly."A lot of the cities that we compare ourselves to or that we aspire to be more like are heavily investing in transportation today," he said, rattling off popular destinations like Denver, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Portland.He and other advocates warn Omaha needs to get started now. The longer the region waits, the more complicated the problem gets."Because buildings get built and the city grows," Kutash said. "Things get more expensive."