This really is getting old. Approval of the $4.5-billion state transportation budget, containing nearly all of the major state and local road projects for the next fiscal year, again is being held up mostly by lawmakers' long feud over a proposed new publicly owned bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

And again we're confronted with the foolishness of waiting until the very last second to come to agreement on an issue lawmakers have known they'd need to resolve for the entire eight months that have passed since Gov. Jennifer Granholm first unveiled her budget plan in February. That same observation applies to an array of issues blocking approval on most other departmental budgets as the clock ticks toward the government shutdown deadline.

Lawmakers may rescue the situation this time by passing a continuation budget, allowing spending for another month while they debate still more.