Lawmakers in Harrisburg have put off for several weeks action that is already two years overdue — increasing funding for transportation.

In June, the state Senate passed a bill that would boost by $2.5 billion annual spending for roads, bridges and public transit. That proposal was never considered by the House.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission issued a report in August 2011 that included many ideas now being considered.

The House is looking at a proposal to increase spending by a lesser amount, possibly $2.2 billion, or a revision to the $2.5 billion plan that would raise the threshold for triggering prevailing wage rules to $100,000 from the current $25,000. Allowing more projects to be done without the prevailing wage rule would give taxpayers more bang for the buck on road repair work.

The Senate’s $2.5 billion bill, which passed 45-5 and would increase transportation spending by about 50 percent, has the backing of both labor and business groups. Yet, some Republicans in the House objected to raising fees and the cost of gas.

It’s been estimated that residents would pay about $100 more a year in the $2.5 billion deal.

Action on a compromise bill had been expected this week. Now, legislative leaders from both parties are sounding optimistic about a compromise, but a vote isn’t expected until mid-November.

Negotiations have been focused on the spending total and how much will go to roads and bridges versus public transit.

Corbett’s 2011 transportation commission recommended a mix of common-sense ideas to increase transportation funding, including lifting the cap on the tax paid by gasoline suppliers and by increasing driver’s license and registration fees. The plan also called for increasing fines for moving violations. Many of these fees had not been adjusted for inflation for years.

Some House Republicans don’t want to see increased costs and expect, rightly, that the gradual lifting of the gas tax cap will be a cost passed on to drivers. But gasoline prices have been stable, even falling, for some time now. Phasing in modest price increases to pay for maintaining or improving the state’s roads and bridges is something most people will accept as necessary — and not particularly painful given current and predicted gasoline price trends.

There is never a good time to increase costs for consumers, but today’s stable gasoline market suggests the small increases will not cause much pain to most drivers.

Anyone who travels in the state, regardless of their political party affiliation, can see that Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges are in need of maintenance and improvement. And those things cannot happen without additional funding because taxes have not been adjusted for inflation and because fuel-efficient cars get more miles to the gallon, reducing gas tax revenues for the same miles driven.

Legislators should not have much trouble working out a compromise including the $2.5 billion-a-year spending increase along with setting aside prevailing wage rules for highway or bridge work costing less than $100,000. In 2012, there were just 17 projects costing $100,00 or less, with a total price tag of $1.1 million — a tiny slice of a multibillion dollar pie for labor interests to give up in exchange for a 50 percent increase in overall transportation funding.