The Senate on Tuesday considered a two-year, $109-billion transportation funding bill that would provide $408 million for Vermont over the next two years. Sen. Bernie Sanders helped write the bill. In Vermont, he said, about one-third of the bridges and federal-aid highways are in need of major repair."I am excited that this legislation will bring in over $400 million in the next two years in order to address this infrastructure crisis," he said. "Furthermore, this bill is going to create many good, decent-paying jobs."

The Senate bill includes a Sanders amendment that allows a Federal Highway Administration emergency relief program to cover 100 percent of the cost of road repair in states recovering from extreme natural disasters. The provision could mean an estimated $20 million in additional funds for Vermont, where Tropical Storm Irene last August caused $185 million to $250 million in damage to roads and bridges. 

The senator also said investments in roads and bridges are one of the most effective ways to create jobs. "It is estimated that this bill will save more than 1.8 million jobs nationwide in each of the next two years, and it will create a million new jobs through an expanded infrastructure-financing program.  At a time when the construction industry is extremely depressed, this bill can put a lot of people back to work in Vermont and across the nation," Sanders said.