The Trump administration revoked federal approval for the tolling plan on Wednesday. New York leaders are fighting to keep it.
The Trump administration revoked federal approval for the tolling plan on Wednesday. New York leaders are fighting to keep it.
The Trump administration revoked federal approval for the tolling plan on Wednesday. New York leaders are fighting to keep it.
On the campaign trail, President Trump vowed to end New York’s congestion pricing plan. His administration followed through on Wednesday by moving to revoke federal approval for the tolling program just weeks after its Jan. 5 debut.
The program, the first of its kind in the nation, aims to reduce traffic and pollution on some of the world’s most crowded streets and help raise $15 billion for mass transit.
It charges most passenger cars $9 a day to enter a designated tolling zone below 60th Street in Manhattan. Trucks and buses pay varying rates, and steep discounts are offered for all vehicles overnight when there is less traffic. Early data has indicated that gridlock has eased and foot traffic has increased in the zone since the tolls took effect.
Sean Duffy, the new transportation secretary, sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul explaining his and Mr. Trump’s objections to the program, including the burden on working-class drivers and the use of the tolling revenue to pay for transit rather than to improve roads.
Mr. Duffy wrote that federal officials would contact the state to “discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations.” He did not specify a date to end the program.
In response, the governor vowed to keep congestion pricing in place while the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that oversees the tolls, immediately filed a federal lawsuit challenging the order.