Mississippi Department Of Transportation

Mississippi Department of Transportation, doing business as M DOT, is a state transportation authority that receives and administers federal transportation grants from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and related DOT offices as the designated state recipient for highway and transit funding across Mississippi. M DOT operates exclusively as a federal grant recipient (not as a prime contractor or subcontractor on federal contracts) and is a child entity within the State of Mississippi government structure.

M DOT's federal footprint is dominated by highway and transit infrastructure grants. The Federal Highway Administration accounts for the overwhelming majority of M DOT's awards—11,185 of 11,298 prime grants—with funding flowing through formula-based programs including the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (CFDA 20.287), Highway Planning and Construction (CFDA 20.205), Highway Safety Improvement Program (CFDA 20.272), and the Bridge Formula Program (CFDA 20.263). Recent representative grants illustrate the scale and scope: a $33.759 million Rural Transit Formula Grant (CFDA 20.509) awarded August 26, 2026, for operating assistance and capital projects supporting 21 rural transit subrecipients and intercity bus operators across Mississippi through March 30, 2034; a $5.88 million Surface Transportation Block Grant overlay and friction course resurfacing project on Interstate 10 in Harrison County (awarded May 22, 2026, extending through May 31, 2031); and a $21.942 million mill and overlay resurfacing project on US Highway 45A from Chickasaw County to Lee County in Monroe County (awarded October 24, 2025). The Federal Transit Administration has awarded M DOT five transit grants totaling approximately $75 million for rural transit operations, vehicles, and specialized transit services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency account for the remaining awards, including a $1.79 million National Infrastructure Investments grant (CFDA 20.933, formerly BUILD) for the Forks to Freedom Corridor project in Natchez and disaster relief sub-awards.

M DOT's role centers on administering federal transportation dollars as a pass-through entity. For highway projects, M DOT typically receives formula grants directly from FHWA and distributes sub-awards to county boards of supervisors, city governments, and regional planning commissions (Gulf Regional Planning Commission, Rankin County Board of Supervisors, City of Jackson, City of Ridgeland, Delta State University) to execute preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction work. For rural transit grants, M DOT distributes operating and capital funding to 21 named subrecipient transit agencies including Aaron E. Henry Community Health DARTS, Bolivar County Council on Aging, Mississippi Valley State Mass Transit, Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit, and Natchez Transit System, as well as intercity operators Delta Bus Lines and Greyhound Lines. Recent activity includes over 1,000 awards annually in the period 2022–2024, with a decline to 338 awards in 2025 and 97 awards year-to-date in 2026. The portfolio spans statewide Mississippi performance, with individual projects located in Covington County, Madison County, Quitman County, and numerous other counties, reflecting M DOT's comprehensive responsibility for highway maintenance, bridge replacement, safety improvements, transit operations, and intelligent transportation systems across the state.

M DOT has no federal contract prime awards and no subcontract work in the source data. The agency does not compete for or hold vehicles like GWACs or IDIQs. As a state transportation authority, M DOT's entire federal footprint consists of formula-based grants from transportation agencies; the source data show only a single sub-award (one Disaster Grant sub-award from Mississippi Emergency Management Agency). M DOT's recompete exposure over the next twenty-four months comprises 267 awards with ultimate completion dates in that window, representing a portfolio of highway and transit infrastructure projects moving toward completion and subject to renewal or recompete within established federal grant program cycles.