Transit riders in the New York region and other cities are counting on Senator Al D'Amato to come through in the Capitol Hill fight over federal transportation spending.

The reauthorization of the U.S. Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, dormant since last fall, heated up yesterday when Senate leaders brought their ISTEA-2 bill to the Senate floor.

The Senate bill as now written threatens to be fractious because its funding levels reduce transportation aid to some states, including New Jersey. Several initiatives to add money to the bill have developed, culminating in leadership negotiations this week over how an increase could be accommodated.

The principal amendment to boost funding levels directs all additional funding to highways. Traditionally, increases in federal transportation funding have been split 80/20 between roads and public transit.

Recently, Capitol Hill transit advocates had expressed concern that D'Amato, chair of the committee (Banking and Urban Affairs) that authors the federal transit title, was MIA on the funding front. But this week, it appeared Senator Pothole had established a place in the negotiations and was at bat for transit's piece of the pie.

That's good news, because the stakes are big. The size of the metro region's transit system means that a big share of U.S. transit funding comes here - the increases under discussion could mean $500-$600 million more transit dollars for NY. If D'Amato is unsuccessful, that dough will show up in Sunbelt freeways instead.