Feb. 22–Washington’s inability to figure out a way to pay for the nation’s roadwork probably will result in a three- or four-year temporary fix, U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers said today.

The Upper Arlington Republican told a transportation conference sponsored by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission that he backs a GOP plan to increase spending on highway repairs and improvements by leasing the rights for oil drilling in five additional areas off the nation’s coasts.

President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the five-year, $260 billion House bill because of the oil-drilling and other provisions, including its plan to end dedicated federal funding of public-transit systems. A Senate bill includes other items he opposes, such as approval of an oil pipeline from Canada to Texas.

The result, Stivers said, probably will be another “bridging bill” that freezes spending at current levels and leaves the tough decisions for future debate.

Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jerry Wray said the expectation that federal funding will be flat is factored into his agency’s proposal to delay 34 major construction projects across the state for up to 19 years.

Since 2009, federal lawmakers have been unable to come up with a new transportation plan and have extended funding from the last long-term bill. The current temporary measure expires on March 31.

Federal gasoline taxes pay for highway projects nationwide, but collections have dropped as consumption has decreased amid rising fuel prices.

Stivers said the drilling plan would supplement gas-tax money with at least $10 billion, although others in Washington say the figure is closer to $3 billion.

Wray said he likes the Republican idea to pay for transportation projects with expanded drilling. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups call the plan a giveaway to oil companies.

MORPC Executive Director Chester Jourdan, who supports increasing the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax, said current highway funding levels already put the United States, Ohio and the Columbus area at a disadvantage.

Lawmakers and the White House have long ruled out increasing the gas tax, but Jourdan said federal officials need to develop a long-term strategy to pay for roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

“There’s a cost to do something,” he said. “There’s also a cost of not doing something.”

rvitale@dispatch.com