(

a) The commission shall direct the department to allocate funds to the department, regional transportation planning agencies, local transportation commissions, congestion management agencies, transportation authorities, cities, counties, a city and county, joint powers authorities, ports, and transit districts for projects specified in

Article 5 (commencing with

Section 14556.40). (

b) Funds allocated as directed by the commission shall be expended only for studies or the phases of project work specified in

Article 5 (commencing with

Section 14556.40). (

c) Allocations shall be made to specified phases of a project and may include more than one phase in a given allocation. The commission shall, at the time the first allocation is made to a project, indicate how it intends to spread the total funding authorized for the project among the phases, but that indication shall not be binding for future phases if the commission finds that a different level of funding for a later phase would help ensure quicker delivery of the project for construction. (

d) Consistent with

Article 5 (commencing with

Section 14556.40), these funds may be used to satisfy any federal, state, or local matching fund requirement for the project to be funded. (

e) The allocation shall specify the percentage rate of reimbursement for expenditures for each phase of the project, considering the funding shares from various sources that comprise the full funding of each phase. The commission may specify different rates of reimbursement for different phases, and shall determine the spread of funding specified in

Article 5 (commencing with

Section 14556.40) across all the phases of work, as appropriate for the project. (

f) The commission may approve minor changes to project scope, cost, or schedule, so long as those modifications fall within the project purpose specified in the project application. (

g) The commission may consider applications under this

section upon adoption of implementing guidelines.