The Virginia Senate voted 25-15 just before noon today to approve legislation that would increase the state gas tax by 5 cents over the next five years.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax County, who sponsored the bill, said it would help shore up a transportation construction fund that's been spent increasingly on routine maintenance in recent years.

The bill would raise the tax by a penny each year. Saslaw said it's expected to bring $52 million in new revenue its first year.

Many Republicans opposed the bill as an unnecessary gas tax, but several members of the party voted for it. Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, suggested that the volatility of retail gas prices will render it unnoticeable.

The Senate also passed a $2.6 billion bond package, largely to pay for new construction at colleges around the state. It includes $59 million for construction of a new medical school in Roanoke.

The measure passed by a 22-18 vote.