Senators approved the bill by a 74-22 vote Wednesday, putting pressure on the House to act quickly.
The government's power to collect about $110 million a day in federal gasoline and diesel taxes is set to expire March 31. Those taxes are the main source of revenue for highway and transit programs.
If lawmakers haven't passed a final bill by month's end, Congress would have to act quickly on a temporary extension to avoid the shutdown of thousands of projects and worker layoffs.
The two-year bill would spend $109 billion, and preserve or create 2.8 million jobs.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
