Section 600.30  Review and Selection

a)         Applications determined by the Department to meet the requirements of Section 600.25 will be reviewed by a committee comprised of staff from the Department and DCEO.  The committee may consult with other State agencies during its review.

b)         The committee will review and rank the applications based on assessment of need, prioritized based on the criteria in subsection (c) and the information provided in the grant application.

c)         Scoring criteria shall include, but shall not be limited to, safety, modal connectivity, state of good repair, economic competitiveness, presence of intermodal connections, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability.

d)         Projects ranked by the committee shall be submitted to the Secretary for final review and selection or declination.  Only projects determined eligible after compliance with the application process will be considered for grant funding from the Program.

e)         The Secretary will select or decline applications for grant funding from the Program from the list of eligible projects made by eligible applicants.  The Secretary's selection will be based on the readiness, feasibility, and geographic location of projects to ensure projects will be completed within the time frame allotted and to ensure projects are geographically balanced throughout the State.

f)         Applicants whose grant applications are not selected by the Department will be notified by electronic mail.

g)         Applicants whose grant applications are selected by the Department will be notified by a Notice of State Award.