NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- New York City halted work on its plan to redesign 34th Street in Midtown to speed up bus service after the Trump administration ordered the city to pause it.
The Federal Highway Administration gave the New York City Department of Transportation its second notice to pause the project citing concerns such as the absence of plans to accommodate truckers that rely on access to routes, according to a press release Friday.
“I demand you cease and desist all activities to implement the 34th Street busway project immediately,” FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster wrote Thursday in a letter to the city agency. He said proceeding with the project would jeopardize financing of pending and future federal-aid projects.
It’s the latest example of how the Trump administration is using government aid for transit projects as leverage to pressure cities and states to comply with federal mandates. Earlier this month, the White House halted $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding due to concerns over diversity and inclusion practices.
The 34th Street busway project, which had begun construction last week before it was halted, is intended to turn the strip between Third and Ninth Avenues into an express runway for public buses to speed up commutes. Once completed, cars will only be permitted onto the street to reach local businesses.
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