ST. PAUL (AP) &045; Gov. Tim Pawlenty is expected to sign an $886 million construction projects bill within the next few days, paving the way for new university buildings, prison expansions, sewer improvements and road upgrades that have been delayed by about a year.

The so-called bonding bill, which brought down last year’s legislative session, easily garnered the three-fifths majorities it needed to pass both chambers on Wednesday. The House approved the package on a 115-16 vote, while the bill passed the Senate on a 61-3 vote.

The Republican governor, who helped broker the compromise between the two chambers, will sign the bill into law by early next week, spokesman Brian McClung said. Lawmakers have been under pressure to finish the construction package, which went nowhere in 2004 when the session disintegrated with partisan sniping and inaction.

Projects have grown more expensive during the delay as interest rates, labor costs and raw material prices have inched up. Some blame the loss of 13 Republican House seats in November on lawmakers’ failure to put together a bonding bill in 2004.

&uot;We’ve got a lot of good people in Minnesota that are going to go to work tomorrow because of this bonding bill,&uot; Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, said Wednesday. &uot;It’s been a long time coming.&uot;