House OKs $305B Highway Bill

The House has overwhelmingly approved a five-year, $305 billion transportation bill that boosts highway and transit spending.

The measure assures states that federal aid will be available as they plan major projects.

Senate action is expected to follow soon.

The bill doesn't include as much money or last as long as many lawmakers and the Obama administration would have liked. It also doesn't resolve how to pay for transportation programs in the long term.

Still, it's praised by industry and public officials as a major accomplishment for ending the last-minute, short-term extensions that have kept the federal Highway Trust Fund on the edge of insolvency for much of the past eight years.