Q: If local traffic honchos expect a presidential visit to tie up traffic (Bush is in town on Monday), why can't the president's travel plans be announced ahead of time, so that drivers can plan which routes to avoid and when?

A: The state Department of Transportation and State Patrol have "clear protocols" when any dignitary comes to town, says transportation department spokeswoman Jamie Holter, and that includes orders from the Secret Service to not publish the president's itinerary.

Can that information be withheld? According to Holter, yes. "The problem is, as a matter of course, we usually don't know until the last minute which route the motorcade will take. That's not left to us."

And, the transportation department's incident-response teams also have authority to clear roads of any disabled or stalled vehicles on the president's motorcade route.

Plans called for closing some freeway ramps and roadways to allow the motorcade to pass. Authorities also expected some planned protests to have an affect on traffic.