So it appears lawmakers have reached an agreement on a $77 billion budget after tenacious negotiations.

However, what the budget contains is not as important to many Virginians as what it does not — a transportation funding plan to replace the fledgling one passed last year. It seems legislators will need to return to Richmond for a special session to craft a compromise.

But will legislators have any more luck than they did in the previous battle to reach compromise last year? Will they be able to avoid the 246-day, taxpayer-funded over time of 2006?

The Washington Post has a good story about how difficult finding a solution might be in the current political environment. The outlook isn’t good. With gubernatorial and delegate elections next year, candidates may be looking out more for their political future than Virginians stuck in traffic.