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Another Sunday, another deadline blown past.
New York City’s congestion pricing program—the $9 toll to enter Manhattan’s central business district—was supposed to end this weekend, according to President Donald Trump's administration. Instead, the cameras are still rolling, the tolls are still tolling and Governor Kathy Hochul just posted a video tossing the latest federal complaint across her desk like a script she’s not interested in optioning.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, led by Secretary Sean Duffy, has been claiming the illegality of the toll for months now, suggesting the money should benefit the city's highway system and not the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In his latest letter, delivered on Monday, Duffy outlines threats to withhold federal funding and stall New York City construction projects starting May 28. But local officials seem to be unfazed.
“The program is working,” Hochul said in a video. “Business is up. Traffic is down. The cameras are staying on.”
Implemented in January, the program charges most vehicles entering Manhattan’s central business district (from 60th Street down to the Battery) $9 during peak hours—5am to 9pm on weekdays, 9am to 9pm on weekends. Trucks and taxis have their own fee tiers, but the goal is the same: reduce congestion and fund the city’s beleaguered subway system.
A federal judge recently threw out key arguments from opponents suing to end the program and is expected to rule on the MTA’s case this fall. Meanwhile, local lawmakers like Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani and Adrienne Adams are lining up behind the tolls. Even former Governor Cuomo, once a critic, is cooling his opposition.
So, is congestion pricing dead? Not even close. But we'll have to wait and see what happens next.