Federal deadline to stop NYC's congestion pricing toll "will come and go," MTA chief says
New York City's controversial congestion pricing plan is headed for a federally-set shutdown date Friday.
That's when Federal Highway Administration Executive Director Gloria Shepherd said collection of tolls must cease.
New York lawmakers have pushed back on that demand by the Trump administration. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA have filed a lawsuit in response to the federal government pulling its approval of congestion pricing. That lawsuit has yet to be decided, and for now -- and until a judge says otherwise -- the toll cameras will remain on, New York officials insist.
"The good news is that the program that had such amazing benefits for New Yorkers -- faster travel, cleaner air, fewer crashes -- all of that is going to continue. The program is underway now for 10 weeks and it has been successful by every standard," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Tuesday. "We're just proceeding with the dispute as we would normally in any litigation setting. This is not a test of wills. It's just the reality when you have a dispute. Things don't change until a court orders it and that hasn't taken place. We don't expect it will because we are on pretty strong legal footing."
"The deadline will come and go"
While New Yorkers and New York City commuters are awaiting an outcome, Hochul and President Trump have held two meetings to discuss the program's fate.
Lieber said the MTA and officials "are very confident there won't be a rollback of congestion pricing because the program has stepped through every hoop on the way to getting that federal approval, which can't be unilaterally rescinded."
"The deadline will come and go and the congestion pricing program will continue to deliver much better traffic environment for New York and economic benefits as well," he added.
Hochul has pledged what she called "orderly resistance" to any attempt to shut the program down.
"And when someone tries to say, 'No, we have another vision for your city,' we just have to stand up and say we respectfully disagree, and take that to the courts, take it to the people. Because I know there is a lot of power in that Oval Office, but I'll put that power up against the power of 6 million pissed off commuters in New York City right there alone," Hochul previously said.
The MTA says congestion pricing tolls brought in nearly $49 million in January alone.
