State Highway officials may have to scramble to find $360 million in project costs that are not reimbursable by the federal government, according to an audit released Thursday. (File photo Maryland Matters)
State Highway Administration officials “knowingly charged” nearly $360 million in unauthorized expenses to federal fund projects in an attempt to hide a deficit in the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, according to a new state audit.
The expenditures for more than 500 projects with $50,000 or more in expenses may not be recoverable. To cover the gap, the state may have to tap a $400 million Transportation Trust Fund balance or state general funds, according to the audit from the Office of Legislative Audits that was released to the public Thursday…