Congressional inaction on a long-term federal transportation bill has caused a 33 percent cut in aid to states at a time when many advocates and experts are clamoring for more spending, a senior Federal Highway Administration official said last week.

Renee Sigel, FHWA's Pennsylvania division administrator, nonetheless told an audience here that she envisions a "perfect storm" of transportation activity in the near future.

"I am tired of the gloom-and-doom presentations. I don't think it's that bad," Ms. Sigel told about 40 members of the Airport Corridor Transportation Association.

She said she envisions a new, long-term transportation measure with increased funding, more accountability and an emphasis on repairing existing infrastructure and environmental sustainability.

Her remarks came as transportation advocates and some Democrats on Capitol Hill pushed for a second round of economic stimulus funding for infrastructure improvements.

McClatchy Newspapers reported last week that there was growing Democratic support on Capitol Hill for a new jobs bill to provide more economic stimulus next year, with Democrats fearful that continuing high unemployment will hurt them at the polls next year.

The American Public Transportation Association urged Congress to invest at least $15 billion in public transit to generate jobs and stimulate the economy.

The association said its national survey of public transit systems identified more than $15 billion in capital projects that can be started within 90 days and create or support more than 450,000 jobs.

"Let's get Americans back to work," said association President William Millar, a former Port Authority executive director. "It is essential that a jobs bill include public transportation investment to create good-paying jobs for Americans."

A group representing state transportation departments released a report listing 9,500 "ready-to-go" projects costing more than $69 billion that it said would generate hundreds of thousands of construction jobs.

"State departments of transportation have proven that these 'ready-to-go' projects are a great way to put people back work, quickly and efficiently," said John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

"A bright spot of the economic recovery act continues to be state transportation projects that are pumping billions of dollars into households and businesses while fixing our broken transportation network," he said.

"We need to keep the momentum going. The unemployment rate in the construction trades today exceeds 18 percent," Mr. Horsley said. "There is still a need to invest more in transportation projects if that's what it takes to create jobs and bring unemployment down."

The Obama administration and both branches of Congress agree that more money needs to be spent on transportation.

Delaying movement on a new six-year transportation bill is disagreement over how to fund it, Ms. Sigel told the airport corridor association.

"Everything is on the table," she said, including an increase in the federal gasoline tax, a new vehicle-miles-traveled fee, tolling of interstate highways and more public-private partnerships to build and upgrade highways.

The former transportation measure expired Sept. 30, and Congress has approved two short-term extensions, the second of which keeps funding flowing until Dec. 18.

But language in the old bill, known by the acronym SAFETEA-LU, rescinded $8.7 billion in spending authority on Sept. 30, lowering the formula for continuing allocations to the states, Ms. Sigel said. States are getting $1 billion less per month.

Ms. Sigel's audience, made up of transportation professionals from the public and private sectors, was pessimistic about the prospects for congressional action. Asked for a show of hands, no one thought a new bill would be passed by June and about half indicated they didn't expect action until 2011.

Pennsylvania has obligated more than 85 percent of the $1 billion in highway stimulus funds it was awarded, but so far only about 18 percent has been paid out. Pennsylvania is sixth nationally in the dollar amount of transportation funds spent but 27th in the percentage spent, Ms. Sigel said.

She said she was encouraged by reports of a possible second round of stimulus funding. "I'll welcome whatever they send us. We've done great things with the first bill, and we'd love to have a second billion," she said.

In response to a question, Ms. Sigel said the application by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to impose tolls on Interstate 80 was "being reviewed as expeditiously and thoroughly as it can," but she would not speculate on when a decision would be announced.

The proposed tolls are a key part of Act 44, the measure passed by the state Legislature in 2007 to alleviate a funding crisis affecting highway and bridge projects and public transit systems.

Business groups in the I-80 corridor and several members of the state's congressional delegation are opposed to the tolls.

Washington correspondent Daniel Malloy writes the "Pittsburgh On The Potomac" blog exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.