Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe, the chamber’s top transportation authorizer, said sending the White House a long-term highway bill this fall is a major priority for his Senate colleagues and policy counterparts in the House.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) will visit 15 cities across the state over the next two months to draw attention to aging roads and bridges needing repair.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is heading to the Midwest midweek to chat with Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), chairwoman of the chamber’s trucking policy panel.

The Senate on July 30 approved both a House-passed, three-month extension of funding authority for highway programs and a six-year highway policy designed to reform several trucking regulations.

Before adjourning for the August break, House Republican leaders on July 29 garnered sufficient support from Democrats to send to the Senate a measure that would authorize funding for the Highway Trust Fund for three months.

A GOP-backed three-month funding patch for transportation programs that is advancing through the House, for which Senate Republican leaders have expressed support, would push a six-year transportation bill with several trucking provisions to the side, at least for now.

The Senate late on July 27 agreed to limit debate on a six-year highway bill, paving the way for final passage within days.

California transportation officials said the area where a bridge collapsed on Interstate 10 was scheduled to partially reopen July 24, a move that would bring relief much sooner to truckers and other motorists who rely on the corridor that connects Southern California and Phoenix.