NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — An agreement has been reached between the MTA and the federal government to move forward with the implementation of congestion pricing tolls south of 60th Street in Manhattan for drivers.
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"Congestion pricing is on the move!" MTA Chair and CEO Janno Leiber said at an MTA board meeting Wednesday. "We are now moving forward quickly to get this historic program up and running."
Before taking the next step in the process, the MTA had to answer more than 400 questions posed by federal authorities.
Five people were selected to serve on the Traffic Mobility Review Board which will create toll rate recommendations as well as any credits, discounts or exemptions. The numbers will then be presented to the MTA Board for consideration prior to the program’s implementation.
All members have experience in the public finance, transportation, mass transit or management sectors.
The MTA also announced an anticipated timeframe for the release of the program’s Environmental Assessment, which must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration before the program proceeds. The document is scheduled to be released around Aug. 10 at which point six virtual hearings for public feedback will be held from Aug. 25-31.
“Today’s announcements demonstrate that, with Gov. Hochul's strong support, the MTA is forging ahead to implement Congestion Pricing,” Lieber said. “We have overcome huge hurdles and are ready for public comment
Next week, the MTA board will meet to review its budget predictions after struggling to get riders back to pre-pandemic levels. Consultants recently released projections showing the MTA could “go off a fiscal cliff” by 2024.
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