Congress at press time was nearing approval of a temporary spending bill that would avert a shutdown of federal agencies on Oct. 1 and keep construction and other programs running through the first six months of fiscal year 2013. It would boost funding slightly over 2012 levels.
Some key Senate Democrats blasted the highway-and-transit funding portion of the new continuing resolution (CR), saying it falls short of the amounts in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), signed into law on July 6. But industry officials say immediate changes in the CR are unlikely as many in Congress want to end the session quickly to campaign for the upcoming elections.