Negotiators reach agreement on Highway Bill

Negotiators reach agreement on Highway Bill    House-Senate conferees Wednesday reached an agreement on a new, six-year surface transportation funding bill, ending a deadlock that had left key transportation funding and regulatory issues in limbo since the fall of 2003.
   The agreement on the Highway Bill calls for $286.4 billion in spending over the next four years and settled disputes over exactly how the money will be divided between states. For U.S. international shippers, the bill includes provisions on improved connections between ports and the main highway network, as well as a compromise on regulations for the exchange of intermodal chassis between truckers and the steamship lines and railroads that supply the equipment.
   The House is likely to vote on the bill today, and the Senate will follow no later than Friday.