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For all the hopeful talk about how President-elect Obama’s stimulus program is going to provide a much-needed boost to the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure, there are growing concerns in transportation circles that the pot of gold may be a lot smaller than originally thought.

The national average price of regular gasoline increased for the first time since early July, rising 11.7 cents to $1.779 a gallon during the two weeks ended Friday, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations released Sunday.

President-elect Barack Obama plans to keep the estate tax from expiring next year, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Bankrupt trucking company Gainey Corp. won a battle to reorganize under bankruptcy law when a federal judge ruled it could use its cash to continue to fund its operations, the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported.

A national safety group is advocating for laws completely banning cell phone use while driving, the Associated Press reported.

WASHINGTON — A national commission studying transportation infrastructure funding is set to recommend that Congress raise fuel taxes now but eventually replace them with levies based on miles traveled.

The Environmental Protection Agency said it is concerned that emissions systems using a copper compound that engine maker Cummins Inc. will use in 2010 models could generate “likely human carcinogen” dioxins, in which case it would “likely not certify” the systems.

The Teamsters union said employees at YRC Worldwide Inc. have approved a landmark 10% wage cut to help reduce costs as the largest less-than-truckload carrier struggles with falling tonnage in a weak economy.

The U.S. retail diesel average declined 3.6 cents to $2.291 a gallon last week, the 14th consecutive drop, but analysts warned that fleets’ fuel costs are poised to start rising again.