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Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich said he will restore state transportation funding if elected to his former seat in November.

At the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City last week, the Republican said he would put $60 million toward improvements for local roads and public safety.

"We can't get Maryland working again if our commuters are languishing on unsafe, deteriorating roads," Ehrlich said. 

The ability for whoever is elected governor to restore transportation funding depends on how the rest of the fiscal 2011 budget plays out, said Del. Murray D. Levy (D-Dist. 28) of La Plata.

Returning transportation money to the counties could be good news for local governments, if funds aren't pulled from other areas to do so, he said.

 "The question is, can he do that and still deal with the general fund balance and not take money from the counties in other areas," Levy said.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) responded to the proposal in a statement Friday, calling Ehrlich's plan for the Transportation Trust Fund an empty promise and contrary to cuts made during Ehrlich's tenure in the executive seat.

"Bob Ehrlich is promising to spend more taxpayer dollars and dig an even bigger hole than the $1.7 billion budget deficit he left four years ago as the biggest spending governor in Maryland history. But this is no surprise from a failed governor who raised taxes and fees by $3.3 billion, left a $1.7 billion budget deficit and has never accepted responsibility for his fiscal irresponsibility."

Andy Barth, a spokesman for the Ehrlich campaign, said there is no specific source of funding for the additional money.

"He will find that in the budget, just because he thinks that is very much the right thing to do," Barth said. "We've been kind of appalled at how Gov. O'Malley has promised to fund the Red Line and the Purple Line with money that doesn't exist."

The Red and Purple Lines, rail projects in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas, O'Malley has approved the proposals for both projects to receive federal funding. Each is expected to cost more than $1 billion.