The US senate has renewed a ban on the tolling of existing highways in the state of Texas as part of the $123bn transportation appropriations bill for fiscal 2010.

The rule says that none of the funds made available by this act may be used to approve or otherwise authorise the imposition of any toll on any segment of highway located on the federal-aid system in the state.

The ban does not include new construction, continued tolling on existing toll roads and conversion of high-occupancy vehicle lanes into high-occupancy toll lanes.

The renewal is part of congressional rules that say that funding prohibitions placed on appropriations bills must be renewed every two years.

The bill will now be placed before the president.