Ohio's buying power is shrinking so quickly as construction costs rise that a $100 million bridge over the Ohio River, if construction were delayed a mere three years, would only reach halfway across before the money ran out.

A story from the AP says, that grim reality was part of a state Department of Transportation business plan presented to lawmakers Tuesday.

With that picture ahead, Gov. Ted Strickland pitched a bond issue in January to help pay for upcoming road, rail and port projects and bolster the state's struggling transportation budget. His $1.7 billion Building Ohio Jobs package includes $150 million for state infrastructure, as well as $400 million for local road, bridge, water and sewer projects.

Strickland, a Democrat who opposes tax hikes, surprised Republicans who lead the Legislature with his bond package idea during his State of the State speech.

House Speaker Jon Husted, a Kettering Republican, said Tuesday he is concerned with the amount of debt the governor's proposal would incur. He said payments on the debt, including principal and interest, could total $3 billion _ almost twice the amount raised.

The department's annual business plan attributes hyper-inflation of 40.7 percent when compounded over the past four years to high oil prices, global demand for raw materials such as steel, and the lingering economic effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Though the state projects the rate of construction cost inflation will slow between now and 2012 and then flatten, the phenomenon has played havoc with cost projections, the report said.