The Senate gave final congressional approval Thursday night to a long-term highway and transit construction bill and sent it to the President to be signed in to law. The $300 billion measure, which authorizes six years of projects, is the longest term highway bill in a decade. It is designed to make up for a long-standing shortfall in the highway trust fund, which gets its money from an 18.4 cent federal tax on each gallon of gas Americans buy. The bill, which passed the House easily on a 359-65 vote Thursday morning, includes technical language that designates the William H. Natcher Parkway as a future Interstate 65 spur, linking Interstate 65 at Bowling Green to Owensboro. When that happens Owensboro-Daviess County will be on the federal interstate system for the first time. US Representative Brett Guthrie says that could happen in as little as 2 years.