SPRINGFIELD - Even if lawmakers and the governor can agree on a statewide construction plan before May 31, the last scheduled day of the legislative session, it could be several months before the bulldozers begin rumbling.

The dirt digging for roads, bridges and schools certainly will not begin before July 4, as Gov. Rod Blagojevich suggested last week.

"If (the General Assembly) can get a capital bill done sooner rather than later, then the shovels will be in the ground before the Fourth of July," Blagojevich told the H&R Springfield Bureau. "But it's up to the legislature to do this and do it quickly."

Blagojevich's own transportation department says some new construction could get under way in the latter part of the summer construction season, but that would require ongoing planning and preparations from this point forward.

"It is possible that some projects could be started in late summer or fall, but it depends on issues like how much engineering has previously been done on specific projects and how much right of way needs to be acquired," said Mike Claffey, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman. "A more significant number would begin in 2009, and I believe the funding would be spent over three to four years."

While a date for the new projects and how much they cost are all relevant issues, the million-dollar question in Springfield is where the state will find money to pay for a multibillion-dollar construction plan.

On Thursday, the governor hosted a meeting in his Capitol office with former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard, who are spearheading statewide talks about getting a construction program on the books.

The meeting, which included leaders of the state House and Senate, focused on spending scenarios at different funding levels. No decisions were made.

"It was an exercise in what would you buy if you were spending this much or that much money," said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago. "They have agreed to come back in two weeks' time with a package of potential revenue sources, which will obviously help decide the question: How big is the capital plan?"

"Obviously, this is still a work in progress," Hastert said. "Our next step is to go ahead and look at revenue sources possible that you can put together."

Kartikay Mehrotra can be reached at kartikay.mehrotra@lee.net or 789-0865. H&R Springfield Bureau Chief Kurt Erickson contributed to this report.