You wonder whether or not consolidating all these road projects is going to backfire like the '79 snowstorm did on [Chicago Mayor Michael] Bilandic.

You'll go out of your way, but it'll probably save you an hour and a half.

In the last six months, there has been a lot of negative press about the road projects in that area.

We're continually trying to expand our bikeway system whenever we can. We're trying to build these into road projects when we do them. When it happens is somewhat development driven.

[Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), who authored legislation calling for inflation to again be considered in state budget projects, was less tactful.] We knew that if you don't budget for inflation it will catch up with you, ... Three dollars a gallon for gas was not predictable, but rising costs were certainly predictable. We had an ostrich-buries-his-head-in-the-sand approach to the budget because we were trying to get through the session without admitting we had to raise taxes.

I'm lucky enough that there is never a blank canvas in front of me, ... I have hundreds of projects that I want to do but I am running out of time.