Elana Schor reports that a new transportation bill is coming down the pike, but we don’t know when:

When the topic turned to the timing of the forthcoming transportation bill, however, LaHood offered few specifics. The former GOP congressman declined to address a report in today’s CongressDaily, a subscription-only Capitol newsletter, that the six-year transportation bill “is almost certain to be punted to next year, if not significantly scaled back.”

LaHood did little to quell rumors of a delay in his remarks about the uncertainty surrounding new funding sources for the bill. “There is going to be a huge debate” over covering the predicted shortfall in the federal highway trust fund, he said. “At some point there will be a bill that’ll come out of Congress” that will address the funding question.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar has signaled a target date of 9/30/09 to pass the legislation, which could come with a $500 billion price tag.