With the latest short-term surface transportation bill set to expire on Dec. 18, another extension is a certainty. But how long the next stopgap measure will be is by no means clear, making things difficult for state transportation agencies and recession-battered construction firms that pursue states’ federally funded highway contracts.
Leaders of three Senate committees said on Nov. 17 they want a six-month extension. One of those senators, Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), has urged top U.S. Dept. of Transportation officials to help end what she terms a “standoff” with the House over the span of a new bill.