Whether to add rail lines where population now exists or build with future development in mind begs a chicken-or-egg question.

It surfaced in Charlotte, North Carolina’s most populous city. The Charlotte Area Transit System chose to route its new east-west light Silver Line to Charlotte Douglas International Airport along Interstate 277 north of the central business district rather than connect a tunnel directly to that district.

CATS leaders say they want to replicate the $2.7 billion worth of development along the existing north-south Blue Line.

While system officials cited tunnel costs and the promise of further development along I-277 near a neighborhood called NoDa, short for North Davidson Street, transit advocates protested. Shannon Binns, executive director of the smart-growth organization Sustain Charlotte, said commuters would balk at a route that would force them to walk several blocks or change trains.

“Transit — first and foremost, we believe — should serve riders and minimize travel time,” Binns said. “In this case, the ridership was not the top goal. It was economic development and we think that’s backwards.”