In December 2015, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) authorized DOT
to award $4.5 billion in discretionary grants for fiscal years 2016 through 2020; DOT awarded
$759.2 million in fiscal year 2016.
The FAST Act required GAO to assess FASTLANE’s processes for selecting grants. This report
addresses: (1) the processes used to evaluate and award FASTLANE grants, (2) the extent to
which DOT followed its FASTLANE evaluation plan, and (3) the extent to which the process
aligned with recommended practices and DOT’s own guidance for awarding discretionary grants.
GAO reviewed DOT and FASTLANE documentation, analyzed FASTLANE’s fiscal year 2016
data, and interviewed DOT officials and 13 FASTLANE applicants selected to include projects of
varying sizes, locations, and modes.
Find the full report here