What's the cost of gridlock in the Puget Sound region? A coalition of business and environmental groups are saying $17.8 billion... as a starting point. That is the amount of money on the ballot this November to fund road and rail construction across the state (but mostly in the three-county region where most of the people live). The thinking is that things are so bad now, we need to pull out all the stops, because there aren't any options left on the table other than doing nothing, and with an expected 1.7 million people expected to move into the Seattle are in the next decades, that is no longer an option either.

This is the theme behind Washington CEO Magazine's September cover story, "American Idle," written by Senior Writer Aaron Corvin. Aaron takes a comprehensive look at the costs of traffic and what businesses, environmental groups and government wants to do about it. He also explores what success looks like (hint: there are two other large cities in the Northwest that got their act together much earlier than Seattle has), and the risks associated with such a major project.

September also sees us return with our Top 50 Highest Paid Executives in Washington list. See who's making the big paycheck. Stories by Senior Writer Bryan Corliss and Linda Steffan and Bill Smith of Watson Wyatt Worldwide explore the intricacies of executive compensation, and show how the numbers are run in the current regulatory climate.

And on the legal front, Bryan Corliss takes a look at how law firms, traditionally adverse to much advertising (except a few late-night TV types), are discovering the Internet is a viable tool for building their client lists. To hear them tell it, they've been waiting for something to replace the Yellow Pages for a while now.

also look for our list of the top 100 public companies, stories about World Vision, a niche maker of athletic gloves, Safe Harbor and America's Car Museum. The September issue of Washington CEO is on the stands now.