The commissioner is meeting with pilots and passengers to gather comments on the Transportation Department's new five-year capital improvement program for the airports.

Key to the M.T.A.'s long-term plans is a $10 billion, five-year capital plan.

In 1990, Father Sellinger began a $40 million, five-year capital campaign.

The bonds were seen as especially crucial for the M.T.A., which needs a reliable chunk of money for a $17.1 billion, five-year capital plan.

It is all part of the authority's proposed five-year capital improvement plan for 2005 to 2009, sent to Albany last week for approval.

It questions whether the Board of Education's current five-year capital spending plan of $7.5 billion is adequate.

Leaders of the State Legislature rejected the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's proposed five-year capital plan yesterday.

The art program is a part of the Board of Education's $4.3 billion, five-year capital plan that began in 1990.

But attention must be paid as well to another budget at the M.T.A. - the $27.7 billion, five-year capital plan.

Mr. Eisenberg said that the increases were needed to finance an ambitious $9 billion, five-year capital program that the agency envisions.