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For weeks, a conference committee headed by the chairmen of the Transportation Committees in both houses -- Sen. Quentin Kopp of San Francisco and Assemblyman Kevin Murray of Los Angeles -- has been wrangling over the construction of an earthquake-safe Bay Bridge. They seek to replace or rebuild the present bridge to safeguard it against the kind of damage it sustained during the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. They also are negotiating over seismic-related improvements to other Bay bridges.

The price tag for the project is just under $2.5 billion, about a third of which is covered by voter-approved transportation bonds. That leaves some $1.7 billion up for discussion -- and the discussions have been interminable.

Generally, the San Francisco-area lawmakers believe the state should pick up the lion's share of the cost of building and maintaining the bridge, a state span that links Interstate 80 with U.S. Highway 101 and serves motorists far beyond local commuters.

South state legislators believe the bridge, while a state span, primarily serves the San Francisco Bay area. They believe the responsiblity for its construction and maintenance should be born largely by those who use it the most, financed by increased bridge tolls.

Last month, the rough outline of a compromise was worked out: Half the cost, about $850 million, would come from state highway monies while the other half would come from tolls and assorted other funds.

But the committee continues to argue over which funds to tap, details of the construction -- the width of the shoulders, for example -- and the size and duration of the toll increases and myriad of other details.

Legislative leaders and Gov. Pete Wilson have alluded to the dispute in their public comments following closed-door budget negotiations, a sure sign that the final compromise won't be decided by Kopp, Murray and the rest of the conference committee, but by Wilson and Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer as part of the state budget -- now three weeks overdue.