Construction officials in Washington have circled and underlined Sept. 30 on their calendars because it’s the expiration date for several measures that are critically important to the industry. The list includes surface transportation reauthorization, appropriations and a bill funding Federal Aviation Administration programs. Congress returned on Sept. 8 from its August recess, leaving little time before slamming into those deadlines. That makes short-term extensions nearly certain, giving lawmakers time to hammer out longer-term bills.
Of measures facing Sept. 30 deadlines, the top construction priority is a successor to the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users. All sides agree that highway and transit programs covered by SAFETEA-LU should be continued; they don’t agree on how long the new bill should extend. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) strongly backs a six-year, $500-billion measure that has cleared subcommittee. In the Senate, three committees have approved pieces of an 18-month SAFETEA-LU extension. Industry groups prefer a multiyear solution, but with the clock running out, a stopgap is virtually assured.