MONTPELIER – With little debate and almost no controversy, the Senate on Tuesday approved the largest transportation budget in state history.

The $595 million bill, up by $40 million over this year and $165 million over fiscal year 2009, includes substantial increases to the state's rail and bridge programs.

The federal stimulus-aided budget, which includes about $50 million in leftover funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has consensus support from the House, Senate and Douglas administration.

"This has been one of the least controversial transportation bills that I've known," said Secretary of Transportation David Dill. "There's been no secret agendas, no political maneuvering on projects. And what we have is a robust and ambitious plan that advances everything we want to do in terms of transportation infrastructure."

After some minor adjustments with the House, the funding will head to the governor for his signature.

For the first time ever, the state's bridge budget will exceed $100 million. The $113 million in bridge spending, up 20 percent over last year, includes $30 million for the Lake Champlain bridge replacement project. The budget will fund projects on more than 80 other bridges across the state.

The $93 million paving budget is down slightly from last year's record-setting levels, but Dill notes that the appropriation is still more than four times higher than the pavement budget in 2003.

"Despite what you might hear, we are making progress on our bridges and our paving," Sen. Dick Mazza, a Colchester Democrat and chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation, said Tuesday. "We've been slipping behind for a number of years, but the stimulus money is certainly helping our transportation infrastructure."

The fiscal year 2011 transportation budget also benefits from a separate pool of stimulus money. Earlier this year, the federal government awarded Vermont a $50 million rail grant for work on a 190-mile rail line that extends from St. Albans to Springfield, Mass.

This year's budget, which includes half the total grant award, will fund the construction of track, roadbed and bridge improvements. The work will increase speeds on stretches of Amtrak's Vermonter line by up to 20 mph and improve traveling times by about 30 minutes in the process.

"We've got a tremendous rail budget," Dill said.

While the federal government rejected a separate grant for work along the western rail corridor, Dill said the agency is holding out hope that the residents on that side of the state will also see significant track improvements.

The agency has announced plans to re-submit the $70 million grant application in a second round of competitive federal grants. That money would allow Amtrak to extend its Ethan Allen line into Burlington.

"The one grant we didn't get, and the one folks really wanted to have because it was our top priority, was to upgrade the infrastructure between Rutland and Burlington," Dill said. "But we're expecting guidance soon on the next round of grants and we intend to apply for something very similar."

While lawmakers rejected an aggressive bonding plan promoted earlier in the session by House Speaker Shap Smith, the bill approved Tuesday includes about $13.5 million in bonding. That money will help Vermont raise the revenue it needs to avoid forfeiting federal formula funds.

The bill grants Dill the authority to bond for an additional $15 million, in the event of unexpected fiscal problems, or if the western-corridor grant comes through and the state needs additional matching funds.

This year's budget benefits from the 5-cent gas-tax increase approved by lawmakers last year. Dill said the new revenue has helped bolster in-state funds.

Transportation, which derives its budget from dedicated revenue sources (such as the gas tax, purchase-and-use tax and motor vehicle fees) has been unaffected by the controversial budget-cutting process called Challenges for Change.

While lawmakers trumpeted the beneficial effects of this year's spending package, Mazza warned of fiscal uncertainty on the horizon.

With stimulus funds slated to dry up by next year, Mazza said, transportation funds will be harder to come by.

"Next year will probably be a lot different," Mazza said. "Money will be a lot scarcer."