The Senate voted overwhelmingly to move forward with debate on a two-year, $109 billion transportation bill, setting the stage for debate to continue next week.

The motion to proceed on the "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century" measure (S. 1813) passed 85-11.

"This is a tremendous vote to move forward with one of the most important jobs bills we could move in this session," said Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), a co-author of the measure.

After the vote, Boxer said she'd like the bill to move forward without much dispute and warned that she and ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) would screen amendments for "extraneous matters."

Boxer urged members to not "mess up this bill" and to avoid "hot-button issues."

Her warning seemed directed at Republicans who were trying to attach a provision aimed at spurring approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline to the must-pass transportation legislation. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who proposed and then withdrew a Keystone amendment in a Finance Committee markup this week, said he might bring back the language for a floor vote.

The wide margin of passage indicates that the Senate bill will have an easier path than a five-year, $260 billion transportation bill set to hit the House floor next week. That bill -- which includes a number of drilling measures as revenue sources as well as Keystone language -- has been slammed by both Democrats and conservatives.

The House Rules Committee will collect amendments to that bill through Monday morning, with the aim of moving it to the floor by midweek.