US Senate approves TEA-21 renewal

The Springfield News-Leader reports:

Defying a presidential veto threat, the Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a highway spending bill that would bring jobs and billions of dollars in new construction money to states across the country.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted 76-21 to pass a six-year, $318 billion highway and mass transit spending bill, replacing the current six-year program that expires at the end of this month. The vote margin would be enough to override a possible presidential veto.

No definite word yet on action on the bill specifically related to the bicycle and pedestrian provisions, but given the speed with which the bill passed, it is likely that they remain much the same as in the version recently proposed. (Click the "comment" link at the end of this article for a list of bicycle/pedestrian-related sections in this bill as of 2/5/2004.)