Under the program, which is administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT), grants are designed to provide assistance to harbor facilities on the Great Lakes and Mississippi River for projects that improve or maintain waterborne commerce. From fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 through FY 2024-25, DOT executed 16 grants totaling $20.9 million. In general, state grants involve management of the pre-award, active, and closeout stages. We identified pre-award stage concerns related to benefit-cost analyses, application scoring and review, and grant awards. We also identified active stage concerns related to reimbursements, reporting, and transfer of ownership. Finally, we identified closeout stage concerns related to project completion and program outcomes. We make 20 recommendations to DOT for improvements.
