House Republicans will propose legislation today calling for $260 billion in spending on transportation infrastructure in the next five years, Reuters reported.

Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica was due to formally introduce the measure and unveil details for funding road, bridge and rail improvements today.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that Congress must lay out a new long-term blueprint for infrastructure improvements, finding political common ground to do so.

Proponents say the highway bill would create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction industry. Transportation and engineering experts have said the country is far behind on infrastructure spending, especially on bridge repairg.

States, which rely heavily on federal reimbursements, have been lobbying for direction from Washington on how to plan and pay for big-ticket projects.

Governments have relied on a string of temporary spending measure from Congress since the last long-term federal funding plan expired in September 2009.

Mica’s proposal is far less ambitious than ideas brought up by President Barack Obama that failed in Congress.

For a related Business Record story about road funding in Iowa, click here.