Congress extended the current highway program for two months, again postponing action on comprehensive reform of the nation's deteriorating infrastructure system.


The continuing resolution, good until Feb. 28, 2010, passed as part of the 2010 Defense Appropriations measure.

Reauthorization of the federal highway program, which was due to have been completed by last October, has been shunted aside due to congressional focus on health care reform and the difficulty of finding the political will to address the critical funding issue.

The consensus among transportation experts is that a fuel tax increase will be necessary to pay for needed improvements, but both the Senate and the White House have resisted this idea. The House has the outline of a comprehensive reform package, drafted by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, that includes a proposal for an eventual fuel tax increase.