Trump Administration Moves to End New York’s Congestion Pricing Tolls
President Trump intends to revoke federal approval of New York City’s congestion pricing program, fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse the policy that tolls drivers who enter Manhattan’s busiest streets to finance repairs to mass transit.
In a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, the president’s transportation secretary outlined Mr. Trump’s objections to the program, the first of its kind in the United States, and said that federal officials would contact the state to “discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations.”
The letter did not indicate a specific date by which the federal government intended to end the program. The decision will almost certainly be challenged in court.
The letter from Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, cited the cost to working class motorists, the use of revenue from the tolls for transit upgrades rather than roads, and the scope of the plan compared to the federal legislation that authorized it as reasons for the decision.
The program started on Jan. 5 and charged most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, an area that includes some of the city’s most famous destinations like Times Square and the Empire State Building.
The plan aimed to discourage drivers from entering the congestion zone. It also hoped to clear pollution from Manhattan’s core while helping to raise $15 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs New York City’s transit system.