Congress approved a bipartisan agreement late on Oct. 16 to reopen the federal government and avoid defaulting on U.S. debt. President Obama signed the agreement shortly after midnight on Oct. 17, thus breaking a three-week-long stalemate between Congress and the White House.

As a result, federal agencies, including DOT, returned to full operations on Oct. 17.

Among the bill’s specific measures are provisions to keep the federal government open through Jan. 15, 2014, lift the debt ­ceiling through Feb. 7, and ­create a bicameral committee, which is charged with developing longer-term budget and debt-ceiling solutions by mid-December.

The shutdown stalled projects, caused furloughs of employees in some state transportation-related organizations, interrupted some transportation services, halted environmental reviews, and otherwise adversely affected many public ­transit agencies and businesses of all sizes, according to an informal survey of members APTA staff conducted during week two of the shutdown.

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