Highway Bill Clears Senate but Faces Collision With House Version

The Senate unanimously passed a six-month highway bill late Friday that allows states to continue billions of dollars in road projects.

But the measure differed significantly from one passed by the House, and it was unclear whether the two could be resolved before Congress adjourns for the year. Without such a compromise bill for President Clinton to sign, highway and transit construction programs in some states might grind to a halt.

“We must do something . . . to keep construction, safety and transit programs going,” said Sen. Christopher S. Bond (R-Mo.), who was involved in Friday’s negotiations.

The Senate bill, crafted in negotiations between Republicans and Democrats, provides a six-month extension of highway spending while Congress tries to work out a long-term overhaul of federal road-building and repair programs.

It allows states to tap, without many of the usual restrictions, $10 billion in federal highway money that already has been authorized but which remains unspent and is not committed to contracts. Some states also would be allowed to dip into next year’s allocations, but with limits.

The House-passed version also calls for a six-month extension in highway spending authority. But it would provide up to $12 billion in new funds for the 1998 fiscal year and would tamper with the formulas used to distribute federal highway money among states, said Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.).