The Department shall provide overall program administration, provide liaison to applicants and transportation planning agencies, provide technical assistance to applicants, give program direction and review of local, regional and State processes, receive and review project applications, aid applicants in carrying out their project responsibilities, provide coordination for interregional projects, make application and provide liaison to the U.S. DOT on behalf of all accepted applicants through submittal of a unified State program of projects, resolve issues common to all applicants and represent the best interest of the local operators and the State to the Federal Government, execute agreements to implement projects, and arrange for payment of invoices.