On Wednesday, President Donald Trump reportedly made the announcement that the hefty congestion toll in New York City that was in place under the administration of Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul “is DEAD.”
According to a story from the New York Post, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy addressed a letter to Governor Hochul on Wednesday, alerting him that the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation has decided to withdraw its approval for the congestion pricing scheme.
“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” Duffy noted in a letter.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
During the month of November, the Department of Transportation gave its initial approval to create the pilot program.
Every weekday between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. and every weekend day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., drivers of passenger vehicles are required to pay a toll of $9 in order to access Midtown Manhattan south of 60th Street.
This toll went into force in January. If you are a driver outside of those hours, you will be charged $3.75. To add insult to injury, Duffy stated in his letter to Hochul that the program “exceeds the authority authorized by Congress.”
This is due to the fact that federal law bans the imposition of tolls on roads that were constructed with federal monies unless Congress expressly approved an exception.
In response to the decision made by the Trump administration, Hochul said that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be contesting the move in court.
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