If the Legislature adopts Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget, PennDOT would be able to pave an extra 550 miles of roads, repair 250 additional bridges and award more than $1.5 billion in contracts for major road and bridge work, state Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler said.

PennDOT's overall budget would grow 5.1 percent, to $5.2 billion.

Public transit assistance would not go up as much. The governor's budget proposes a 2 percent increase, continuing a string of small increases and keeping his promise to transit agencies. About $1.5 million more would come to the Port Authority for a total of $75.8 million that Allegheny County must match, $1 for every $3 from the state.

"The governor continues to recognize the importance of transit," said Dennis Veraldi, the authority's acting chief executive officer. He said the agency still faces about a $36 million deficit in its 2006-07 operating budget.

Much of PennDOT's extra revenue is coming from higher federal transportation spending and from automatic gasoline tax increases of 3.8 cents a gallon Jan. 1, 2005, and 1.2 cents this Jan. 1. Mr. Biehler said PennDOT needs the money to help offset steep price hikes in energy, steel and cement, major construction components.

Municipalities are to share $334 million to maintain local roads, a category of the Motor License Fund.