Feds rescind approval for congestion pricing program; MTA takes legal action
Devices used for congestion tolling hang above traffic on a Manhattan street on Jan. 6. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
President Donald Trump’s administration has rescinded federal approval for New York’s congestion pricing program, potentially spelling the end to the controversial tolling program that has been widely derided by Long Islanders.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that, after reviewing New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program at the direction of Trump, he was rescinding the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of congestion pricing and "terminating the agreement" between New York and the federal government that allowed the tolls to be implemented in January.
But MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement that the transit authority on Wednesday filed papers in federal court to ensure the tolling program will continue "notwithstanding this baseless effort to snatch" its benefits away from transit users, pedestrians, and drivers.
Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.
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