Transportation Bill

GAS PRICES a pain? No worries. A soothing new bridge, wider road or bike trail - plus a tax write-off to buy a hybrid car - is headed your way courtesy of Congress. Depressed or worse about the Iraq war? A boost to the local economy from federal subsides for corn or coal might help, Congress hopes. However disappointed taxpayers may be in the general trend of things in Washington, Congress is betting they will at least find something appealing on the list of nearly 6,500 pet projects and $14.6 billion in tax breaks that lawmakers are back home boasting of to their constituents.

WASHINGTON - After nearly two years of political gridlock, congressional negotiators reached agreement yesterday on a $286.5 billion highway and mass transit spending bill aimed at providing relief from everybody's favorite gripe: traffic congestion. The bill slightly exceeds the $284 billion that President Bush had set as his spending limit, but the White House is expected to avoid a veto showdown with the Republican-controlled Congress over the popular bill. Deficit hawks have pressed Bush to make the highway bill a test of his pledge to clamp down on spending.

The daily northbound commuter backup on U.S. 29 near Columbia won't likely ease until a third lane is completed in roughly four years, but $11 million in federal money will help, officials said. Congress has approved two versions of a five-year federal transportation bill that is expected to funnel $15.6 million in federal funds to Howard County to help pay the estimated $250 million cost for widening U.S. 29 and Route 32. The funds will also help cover the $10 million price tag for a new bus maintenance facility to be shared with Anne Arundel County.

WASHINGTON - The House overwhelmingly approved a six-year, $275 billion transportation bill yesterday that President Bush has threatened to block with the first veto of his administration, setting up an unusual election-year showdown between the Republican president and members of his own party who control Congress. Bush's threat reflects, at least in part, pressure from conservative supporters to take a firmer stand against federal spending in the face of a record budget deficit. But lawmakers in both parties supported the highway spending plan - the largest public works measure expected to come before Congress this year - as an economic stimulus measure.

Two House committees approved an increase in the state's vehicle registration fees yesterday, but excised other key revenue-producing components, including surcharges on fines for moving violations and drunken driving. The slimmed-down version of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s transportation revenue package, expected to face a close vote on the House floor, could build pressure for a gas tax increase. The Environmental Matters Committee voted 14-7 for the bill, while the margin in the Ways and Means Committee was 12-8.

DON'T GET us wrong: A 40 percent increase in federal highway money to Maryland over the next six years and a 59 percent boost in mass transit money sounds mighty tempting. Certainly, the construction contractors and business interests drooling last week over the prospect of more state transportation spending would swoon over such a swollen federal revenue stream. With such largess, much could be done to shorten commuting times, ease congestion and improve the quality, safety and efficiency of all Maryland's ground transportation.

WASHINGTON - The House Appropriations Committee voted yesterday to give Amtrak $900 million in the new fiscal year, restoring cuts that had been made by a subcommittee but falling far short of the $1.8 billion that the railroad says it needs to survive. "Although it's an improvement from the subcommittee's budget, it still won't be enough for us to cover our costs and that means the end of Amtrak," railroad spokesman Cliff Black said after the vote. Earlier this month, a House appropriations subcommittee voted to slash the government's subsidy to Amtrak to $580 million.

LOOK NO further than Maryland to see why a tough national standard for drunken driving is necessary. For years, pressure from the alcohol lobby and defense lawyers has kept state lawmakers in Annapolis from adopting a sensible 0.08 blood-alcohol limit. But Maryland is hardly alone. Only 18 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the stricter standard. Because state leadership is so weak, the U.S. Senate is right to exert its own pressure on states through the transportation bill.

IT'S HARD to imagine that a $200 billion federal transportation bill could leave out a vital project. This is a huge spending plan, after all, that had more than its share of pet projects, mostly in the states and districts of powerful legislators and their colleagues who toed the line. Maryland officials have praised the plan that evolved after an arduous process, but there are at least two reasons for concern.First, Congress is shirking an obvious responsibility by failing to pay the full cost of replacing the congested, dilapidated Woodrow Wilson Bridge that links Maryland and Virginia.

Baltimore's "people mover" project -- a proposed three-mile monorail from Camden Station to Canton -- has received preliminary funding from Congress, allowing studies and designs proceed.The authorization is included in $28 million that will be granted directly to the city through the recently passed six-year federal transportation bill. Among the transportation projects authorized are $13.2 million to replace city traffic signals and $10.9 million for road improvements in the city's Empowerment Zone.