President Trump has outlined a recreation plan for ending congestion pricing, saying he “will be able to kill it off in Washington through the Department of Transportation,” however stated he was nonetheless discussing the plans with Gov. Hochul “out of respect.”
In a weekend interview within the N.Y. Put up, Trump claimed, he has “a lot of power” to finish the toll, and referenced federal funding. It stays unclear, nonetheless, what authorized energy if any the present president has to unilaterally upend both of the 2 approvals given by the federal Division of Transportation up to now two years.
Congestion pricing, accredited by state lawmakers in 2019, is supposed to scale back site visitors congestion in Midtown and decrease Manhattan whereas additionally elevating a income stream that will enable the MTA to borrow $15 billion to fund its 2019-2024 capital program.
The regulation charged the MTA with creating and operating the tolling program, in live performance with town and state departments of transportation.
In 2023, the federal DOT gave a vital signoff to the MTA’s exhaustive environmental examine, which modeled tolls between $9 and $23 for his or her anticipated influence on the surroundings, site visitors and income. The feds’ discovering of “no significant [environmental] impact” from the plan paved the best way for the state to maneuver forward with the main points of the toll.
The opposite federal DOT approval got here late final 12 months within the type of the an settlement beneath the feds’ Worth Pricing Pilot Program — a George W. Bush-era program that permits toll income for use for functions apart from street upkeep.
Three federal judges have already dominated in favor of the DOT’s findings on the environmental evaluation.
Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information; Getty
Trump instructed The Put up that he may withhold tens of millions of {dollars} in federal funding from New York if the state doesn’t axe the toll. (Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information; Getty)
In an announcement indicating Trump may not be capable to merely kill congestion pricing with the wave of his hand, the president additionally instructed The Put up that he may withhold tens of millions of {dollars} in federal funding from New York if the state doesn’t axe the toll itself.
The toll, which has been in impact since January 5, fees drivers a base toll of $9 to enter Midtown and decrease Manhattan. Preliminary knowledge collected by the cameras used to evaluate the toll have proven huge decreases in cross-river journey occasions, even when general site visitors into the tolling zone has decreased by a modest 5%.
Trump additionally railed in opposition to bike lanes, telling The Put up he needs to make use of his energy to take away them. It is usually unclear what energy a president has to roll again 1,500 miles of motorbike lanes accredited by the New York Metropolis Council.
Initially Revealed: February 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM EST
