Everyone knows traffic congestion hurts the economy, but "the economy" is abstract, non-specific. Sure, traffic gets worse, but businesses still do business and commuters still commute.

Now, we've got something a tad more specific: According to this story by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dennis J. Donovan, one of the nation's top site selection consultants, says the Atlanta metro area's traffic congestion has now reached "the point of no return" with companies quietly taking their business elsewhere, including packaging company MeadWestvaco, which relocated its headquarters - and hundreds of new jobs - to Richmond, Va., instead of Atlanta because of traffic.

Moreover, Atlanta shows up on a short list of Donovan's clients, a third of which are Fortune 500 companies, that often say, "'Boy, isn't there a lot of traffic down there?'"

Are Seattle and Puget Sound far behind in landing on such an unfortunate short list? Certainly, Atlanta's experience is fair warning. Proposition 1, the roads and transit measure, wasn't perfect, but its failure in November leaves the region vulnerable to becoming a place companies avoid because its workers crawl and stall.

It will be interesting to see what the Washington Legislature does about this growing problem. The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 520 bridge are both on a list of projects that need immediate attention. And Sound Transit is eyeing a new light-rail tax package.

Meanwhile, a group of business and political leaders are sharpening a plan to revamp how the region makes land-use and transportation decisions. It would replace the region's jumble of transportation agencies with a single, elected regional agency responsible for solving what amounts to a regional problem.

One of the proponents, telecommunications pioneer John Stanton, told me a couple months ago that the defeat of Proposition 1 (which Stanton supported) opens the door to radically change how the region decides transportation.

Certainly, the time is right for major changes to the region's transportation system and cultural of decision-making. Atlanta shows time is not on our side.