[title]
A little over a month since the contentious plan went into effect, New York City's congestion pricing project is likely to come to an abrupt end—courtesy of the current administration.
The Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul earlier today, letting her know that the department has officially pulled its former approval of the $9 toll.
"New York State's congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote in the letter. "Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It's backwards and unfair."
In the note, Duffy also mentioned who the program "hurts small businesses in New York that rely on customers from New Jersey and Connecticut" that now have to consider an added expense when visiting from out of town.
"Finally, it impedes the flow of commerce into New York by increasing costs for trucks, which in turn could make goods more expensive for consumer," the letter continues. "Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn't be reserved for an elite few."
To be clear, the official end date of the congestion pricing plan has yet to be determined.
Although the federal government has announced its decision to pull approval, the New York Post reports that the Department of Transportation is still figuring out the details involved in the "orderly termination" of the toll.
For what it's worth, MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement today that the agency will go to court to fight the federal government's efforts to put an end to the program.
"Today, the MTA filed papers in federal court to ensure that the highly successful program—which has already dramatically reduced congestion, bringing reduced traffic and faster travel times, while increasing speeds for buses and emergency vehicles—will continue notwithstanding this baseless effort to snatch those benefits away," Lieber said in an official statement.
The congestion pricing saga continues.