Legislation funding the Federal Aviation Administration lost a crucial vote Tuesday after partisan wrangling over including highway money led Republicans to block it.

By a margin of 49 to 42, far short of the 60 votes needed, Senators failed to invoke cloture and bring debate on the bill to an end. Nearly all the Republicans present voted to extend debate.

"I had sincerely hoped that we would have seized this golden opportunity to chart a new course for aviation in this country," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Commerce Aviation Subcommittee.

Republicans objected to measures that included providing $5 billion to shore up the Highway Trust Fund, $1 billion in tax credit bonds for railroad infrastructure, as well as a $1.6 billion earmark for a "train to nowhere" in New York.

The Senate is expected to begin work on a continuing resolution to fund the FAA instead.

Ari Natter / Traffic World