WASHINGTON An effort lead by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to put limits on where transportation funds can be spent has been shot down in the Senate.

The 59-39 vote to table a McCain amendment came after floor remarks from a number of lawmakers, including Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who said such a policy change would be better suited to an upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.

McCain proposed limits on the types of transportation "enhancements" states can make with federal money in an amendment to a U.S. Department of Transportation funding measure.

Current law requires that at least 10 percent of federal Surface Transportation Program funds be spent on "qualified enhancement activities," which averages to about 2 percent of the states total highway money from the federal government.

The McCain amendment sought to prohibit federal funding for seven of the 12 transportation enhancement activities: scenic or historic highway programs, including tourist and welcome centers; landscaping or scenic beautification; historic preservation; rehabilitation or operation of historic transportation buildings, structures, or facilities; control or removal of outdoor advertising; archaeological planning or research, and the establishment of transportation museums.

McCain took issue with projects such as a white squirrel sanctuary in Tennessee and a Corvette museum in Kentucky.

"The fact is that we have deficient bridges, we have highways that need repair. So what I'm trying to say is, let the states decide their priorities," said McCain.

But Boxer told lawmakers that the amendment "actually eliminates the flexibility of our states and prevents them from spending funds on activities which are necessary to construct and maintain our highway system."

For instance, she said, a deficient bridge that also happens to be a historic bridge would fall under the prohibitions of the McCain amendment.

She said her committee has been examining the transportation enhancements issue within the framework of multiyear surface transportation reauthorization, which she called the "proper vehicle" for this kind of policy change.