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This is a critical month for transportation legislation in Congress, as legislators face a Sept. 30 deadline for reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The law would regulate federal highway and transit spending for the next 6 years. At press time, committees in both houses were working on short-term extension bills, in case the effort is not completed before Congress recesses in early October.
The principal players are still far apart. Specifically, the Bush administration has proposed spending $247 billion over 6 years under its Safe, Affordable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA) proposal. Meanwhile, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has proposed its own $375 billion...