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A bipartisan transportation bill launched this week could help stave off major cuts in Oregon and around the nation – if funding sources can be identified.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, is proposing reauthorization of the existing federal highway program for six years at the current level plus inflation from fiscal 2015 through fiscal 2020.

The bill would need to pass through both houses of Congress, said Travis Brouwer, chief of staff for the Oregon Department of Transportation.

“There is a strong prospect that the Transportation Committee in both the House and Senate will reauthorize the bills,” he said. “But the real challenge is finding money to avoid deep cuts.”

Reauthorization of the transportation bill is critical for replenishing the federal Highway Trust Fund, which is slated to run out of cash by late August. MAP-21, the program that keeps the trust fund solvent, is set to expire Sept. 30 without reauthorization by Congress.

If Congress were to do nothing, ODOT could lose upwards of $150 million and be forced to cancel some projects and delay others, Brouwer said. If Congress were to provide a short-term infusion of cash into the trust fund, some projects could be delayed, he said.

The new bill includes provisions that would “explore alternative transportation revenue mechanisms,” such as ODOT’s Road User Fee Pilot Program, Brouwer said.

Oregon is gearing up for a July 1, 2015 program launch: 5,000 volunteer participants will receive a rebate on their gasoline taxes in exchange for paying a mileage usage fee.