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If the N.C. Department of Transportation doesn't already know how much Greensboro wants to see more progress on its Urban Loop, it will when it hears from City Councilman Robbie Perkins today.

Perkins is carrying a $30 million offer from the city to his meeting with Transportation Secretary Gene Conti. It's a strategy that Perkins characterizes as "taking the bull by the horns."

That's a risky proposition.

The proposal is to lend DOT that money for acquiring right-of-way along future portions of the Urban Loop around Greensboro. The project promises great benefits for the Triad, speeding traffic flow, relieving congestion on crowded arteries and spurring economic growth. It can't get done fast enough, but the completion date seems to be far in the future. With the state's financial woes, accelerating the schedule is unlikely without a push from Greensboro. Perkins believes local funds might spur movement, demonstrate the city's commitment and save DOT money in the long run.

"The city of Greensboro is trying to be proactive," he said Wednesday.

Will it work? "I'm not sure this is the way to do it," he admitted.

"It's purely exploratory at this point in time," Interim City Manager Bob Morgan said. The city doesn't know yet whether DOT would agree.

If it did, conditions must be applied, Morgan said. The work would have to be put on DOT's Transportation Improvement Program. It would have to be done within the city limit. The money loaned would have to be city transportation bond funds already approved by voters. And there would have to be a contract outlining the terms. Council members "want to make sure DOT has to live up to the agreement and we get paid back," Morgan said.

In addition, repayment should come in time to keep original city transportation bond projects on track.

A frank discussion with DOT leaders can't hurt. Perkins notes, "Other cities in this state are lobbying for stuff all the time, and we're not aggressive enough." So maybe it's time to get Raleigh's attention.

But a bull can throw its weight around. One risk is that the state begins to demand local funds up front before proceeding with projects. Another is that cities influence DOT priorities by kicking in money, giving advantages to the wealthiest municipalities.

Perkins says Greensboro shouldn't shy away from that.

"This is a new day in Raleigh in transportation," he said. Cities have to "ante up" to show their commitment to important projects.

Transportation Secretary Conti made a similar statement to News & Record editorial writers in April -- "I think putting money in the game is part of the deal for getting state and federal funding" -- but was referring to mass-transit projects.

If those are new rules for highway construction, too, Greensboro has to learn them. But the City Council should be careful about waving $30 million in front of a bull.