It is over two-and-a-half years since the law governing spending on America's motorways expired. Instead of passing a replacement, as might happen anywhere else, Congress has approved a series of brief extensions of the old law-nine of them, to be exact. It is now haggling over its next move, with a tenth extension (already approved by the House of Representatives) seen as the likeliest outcome. Most of America's politicians seem to agree that this is a dreadful way to manage investment in infrastructure, since it makes long-term planning and contracting all but impossible. It is also something of a puzzle: highway bills normally sail through Congress, since no one wants to antagonise drivers, and most members are eager to take credit for wider interstate roads and spiffy new bridges in their districts.
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