The furlough of Dept. of Transportation workers—including those inspecting certain highway projects as well as those engaged in commercial vehicle safety enforcement—should end by later this week now that Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has ended his one-man filibuster against a key spending bill.

The Senate is expected to vote tonight on the short-term bill Bunning had held up, which will include monies for highway spending as well as other items.

The deal Senate leadership of both parties reached with Bunning ends this impasse, which also means that individual States can feel more comfortable about going ahead with various federally funded highway projects—at least for the time being

However, removing Bunning from the equation does not ensure that Congress will now or —or soon— pass an extension of the highway authorization bill SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users)