Connecticut lawmakers would take home $104 million through fiscal year 2009 for 48 specific projects earmarked in the bill.

Nearly half the state's earmarked dollars — $41.5 million — would go to projects in eastern Connecticut, whose representative serves on the House Transportation Committee.

Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4, said he plans to support the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users when it comes up for a vote on Thursday.

I'm thrilled, Shays said. This is most everything we asked for.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, also expressed support for the bill.

If approved by Congress, this funding will provide millions for critical transportation and infrastructure projects in Connecticut's 3rd District, which will improve the quality of life for residents in each town, she said. I remain concerned, however, that though this is a good start, the overall amount of funding in the bill is not sufficient to meet our national transportation needs.

The 4th District, which covers much of Fairfield County, would get $19 million and the 3rd District, which covers much of New Haven County, $19.5 million.

The bill includes:

? $10 million for the Seaview Avenue corridor in Bridgeport;

? $3 million to widen Route 34 in Derby;

? $1.5 million to reconstruct a portion of Route 111 in Monroe;

? $1 million each for the Housatonic River walkway, a bicycle/pedestrian path in Shelton and to reconstruct the exit 11 entrance ramp at Route 8 in Shelton;

? and $1 million for a multi-modal study for Route 8 in Beacon Falls.

Shays said the bill also includes full funding for the Bridgeport intermodal transportation center and the Stamford urban transit way, which could be worth $45 million and $38 million, respectively.

Federal highway spending programs have been running on temporary extensions since the last six-year authorization bill expired in September 2003. Congress failed to approve the bill last year over disagreements with the White House on spending levels.

This year, President Bush has agreed to the $284 billion spending level, which should make it easier for Congress to enact a bill. Questions remain over how to divide the money collected through a federal gas tax for highway construction, which accounts for the bulk of the bill.

Under the old plan, states were guaranteed at least 90.5 cents for every dollar they contributed to the fund, but a coalition of mostly southern and southwestern states wants to raise the minimum to 95 cents.

If they succeed, Connecticut would likely lose. The state received $1.41 in federal transportation funds for every dollar it collected in federal gas taxes from 1998 to 2002.

The House Transportation Committee, which drafted the bill last week, specified that the 95 percent threshold should be met by fiscal 2009, but did not say how to do it.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is to propose the $284 billion level when it votes on the legislation in about two weeks, but it's likely senators will offer amendments either in committee or on the Senate floor to increase that.

Taxpayers for Common Sense issued a press release Tuesday criticizing the earmarks as a political reward system that is driving up the cost of the highway bill. In total, earmarks are expected to make up about $20 billion out of a total House proposed funding level of $284 billion.

The political formula was simple, according to the taxpayers' group: $14 million was the minimum for every district. Anybody who sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee can expect $40 to $60 million, and House and committee leadership will get $90 million or more, according to the taxpayers' group.

In total dollars, California is the biggest winner, with nearly $1.2 billion in earmarks. Delaware receives the smallest share, with only $9.5 million. Congress was presented with a golden opportunity to practice fiscal restraint, but opted instead to bring home the bacon in the form of bridges, horse trails, museums and water taxis; almost everything and anything gets a piece of the action in this bill, said Keith Ashdown, vice president of Taxpayers for Commonsense.

In short, there are special-interest projects for every Congressional district in the nation. Lawmakers have been blinded by their greed and pork addiction and have forgotten that our nation is in a budgetary crisis.

Among the projects objected to by the group:

? $7.3 million to construct a 96-mile-long snowmobile trail in Lamoille Valley;

? $4 million to eliminate graffiti along Kings Highway in Queens and Brooklyn;

? and $2.5 million to improve landscaping along the Ronald Reagan Freeway in California.