WASHINGTON - The funding for the expansion of Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida moved a step closer to becoming a reality Thursday as the U.S. House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would authorize highway and transit projects across the country for six years.

The $284 billion measure, which passed by a vote of 417-to-9, is intended to help states and federal agencies build roads, repair bridges, advance public transit and at the same time, foster jobs by bringing work to communities around the country.

Included in the legislation is the authorization of $72 million - one of the largest amounts authorized for any single highway project in the country - to widen I-75 to six lanes between Daniels Parkway in Lee County and Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County.

Congressmen Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, and Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, who both sit on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and pushed hard for the interstate widening, said they were proud of their efforts.

"It is never an easy proposition to get projects into these authorization bills, especially when you are asking for millions of dollars," Diaz-Balart said. "Every member of Congress is vying to have a project important to their area put into this bill."

Both lawmakers said they believe they succeeded in securing the funding after House and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, visited the area, experienced the gridlock on the highway firsthand and participated in a town hall meeting on the region's transportation needs.

"We appreciate Chairman Young taking the time to personally confirm the need for this project," Diaz-Balart said.

Mack, a freshman member of the House, called the authorization a "significant milestone" for Southwest Florida, one that has been a struggle in past years.

"We are now one step further to the finish line," he said.

But both lawmakers stressed that they still have a long way to go in what is a long and complicated lawmaking process. The Senate now will consider its own version of the transportation bill and then any differences between the House and the Senate will be ironed out in a conference meeting before making its way to President Bush.

And, both congressmen said, there also are no guarantees that the Senate will support the entire $72 million for the highway expansion project.

Last year, the six-year transportation spending bill, which authorized $48 million for the I-75 expansion, got initial approval in the House, but it stalled in a conference committee, where Senate and House negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the overall amount of spending and other details. The president threatened to veto the bill if it would raise the federal deficit, and both chambers passed versions the White House considered too large.

Both congressmen said the bill stands a greater chance of becoming law this time around, but they remain cautious.

"While this is a great step forward for Southwest Florida, we must remember that we are still a long way from the finish line with still more hurdles to clear," Diaz-Balart said.