NEW YORK (1010 WINS) The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) ordered New York officials to cease collecting congestion pricing tolls by March 21, escalating a legal and political battle between the Trump administration, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and the MTA.
In a letter sent Wednesday, FHWA Executive Director Gloria Shepherd informed the heads of the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York City Department of Transportation, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels that they must end toll collection on federal-aid highways within the Central Business District Tolling Program area.
“Accordingly, NYSDOT and its project sponsors must cease the collection of tolls on Federal-aid highways in the CBDTP area by March 21, 2025,” the letter stated.
Trump's FHWA first announced its decision to revoke approval for congestion pricing last week, but Hochul and the MTA quickly responded with legal action, filing a lawsuit against the federal government.
“Secretary Duffy can send as many letters as he’d like, but the cameras are staying on,” Hochul’s spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “The MTA has already filed a lawsuit, and we expect to be victorious.”
“Our position is clear: this is not a lawful order,” an MTA spokesperson said. “We have already filed a lawsuit, and now it’s up to the courts to decide.”
With the legal battle underway, it remains unclear whether congestion pricing will actually end on March 21 as Shepherd’s letter demands, or if a court ruling will allow the program to continue.
Earlier Wednesday, Hochul and MTA Chair Janno Lieber held a meeting at Grand Central Station, where Hochul vowed to defend congestion pricing and push back against federal efforts to shut it down.
“Traffic down, business up,” Hochul declared during an MTA board meeting. “We will keep standing up for New Yorkers.”
She argued that federal officials, including former President Donald Trump, fail to understand the daily struggles of New Yorkers who rely on public transit.
“There is a huge disconnect between the reality we know that New Yorkers are facing and the perception of reality out of the White House,” Hochul said. “I guarantee that the president has never had to endure missing a child’s sporting event because they were stuck on a delayed train, not sitting in traffic. That is the reality of New Yorkers that we’re solving for.”
Congestion pricing launched Jan. 5 as part of a bid to thin traffic and fund mass transit by imposing a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan south of Central Park. The new tolls on motorists driving into Manhattan’s busiest areas raised $48.6 million in its first month.
The new tolls on motorists driving into Manhattan’s busiest areas raised $48.6 million in its first month.