NEW YORK — The federal government says March 21 will mark the end of Manhattan’s congestion pricing program, but New York State officials are indicating they expect tolling to continue.
A letter from Federal Highway Administration executive director Gloria Shepherd sent on Feb. 20 — the day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the Department of Transportation would rescind its approval of the tolling — set the termination date.
But news site NY1 reports that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26, that the state will display “orderly resistance” other than the “orderly cessation” called for by Duffy [see “New York MTA sues …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 19, 2025]. And MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the agency would not turn off the devices that read license plates to assess the toll.
“We have an approval that is valid and in effect,” Lieber said, “and we’re not turning them off absent a court order.” The MTA has sued to block the federal action.
President Donald Trump had vowed to kill congestion pricing during his campaign, and Duffy said the program was a “slap in the face” to working-class people and small businesses in announcing the intention to rescind permission granted under the Biden Administration. The MTA — which will use the tolling funds for capital projects — has cited a 7.5% reduction in traffic within the tolling zone since the start of the program.
Share this article
