A coalition of rural conservative and urban liberal Senators was credited with making possible this week’s 45 to 5 vote in favor of a $2.5 billion transportation bill in Pennsylvania that supporters say would protect the safety of motorists and provide a much needed economic boost in the Keystone State. I also have some bonus updates for the week on some of the topics covered in my previous post from earlier this week including public-private partnerships and the condition of the nation’s bridges.

A handful of states are still weighing transportation revenue options to meet infrastructure needs as the collapse of a bridge in Washington State continues to have reverberations around the country. I also have some updates on states pursuing public-private partnerships and expanded tolling and one more plug for an important conference on the subject that takes place later this month in New York City.

I have an article in this week’s edition of the Capitol Ideas E-Newsletter profiling Maryland’s new law governing public-private partnerships (P3s) and previewing Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s appearance next month at the InfraAmericas U.S. P3 Infrastructure Forum in New York City. For those interested in some additional reading on the subjects of P3s and tolling, here are some links and items worthy of note.

A Circuit Court judge’s decision in Virginia could spell trouble for a tunnel project already under construction in the Norfolk-Portsmouth area and could have broader ramifications for the future use of public-private partnerships (P3s) in the commonwealth. I also have links to a number of other recent items on tolling and P3s and more on a conference this summer that will bring these issues into sharp focus.

While a number of states have already completed work this year on transportation funding plans, officials in a number of other states are still hard at work seeking compromises, stating their cases and planning for the future if they’re ultimately unsuccessful in 2013. I have updates on nine of them, as well as links to a number of recent items on the trends in states seeking new transportation revenues this year.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley this week signed into law a House bill that revises guidelines for infrastructure public-private partnerships (P3s). I also have updates on P3, toll and other projects and policies in eight other states, a look at some recent reports and writings on those topics, and some information about how state government officials can learn more on these topics at an important forum this summer.

Transportation plans in Maryland, Ohio and Virginia are one step closer to becoming a reality this week. For other states though, the debate over how to fund transportation going forward continues. I also have some noteworthy items below on the condition of America’s infrastructure and what states are doing about it.

Massachusetts, Texas and Wisconsin are among a list of states this year looking at how borrowing and tax increases fit into their futures as they try to meet transportation needs. I also have updates this week on transportation revenue measures under consideration in Arkansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Vermont and Virginia, plus a roundup of recent news and resources from the world of transportation public-private partnerships.