The congestion toll of $ 9 of New York City in drivers in the busiest areas of Manhattan will remain in force, despite the deadline of the federal government Sunday to discard it.
In a statement on the deadline, a spokesman for New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, said: “The program is working. The traffic is low, businesses are active and cameras remain on.”
The United States Department of Transportation said in a statement to NBC New York on Friday that I expected New York to meet the deadline of Sunday to “finish this program.”
“The USDOT will continue to fight for working -class Americans whose tax dollars have already financed and paid by these roads,” he said.
But the officials of the Metropolitan Transport Authority told NBC New York that it was unlikely that anything changed on Sunday, since a federal judge so far has put on the New York side that the toll is legal, and the judicial presentations suggest that they will probably take until the fall so that the case is completely resolved.
In addition, both Hochul and the MTA have said that, unless a court directs otherwise, the cameras and, therefore, the tolls, will remain burning.
The plan has already faced a series of federal government’s deadlines, followed by so many setbacks.
The congestion price, which entered into force on January 5, has objectives to reduce traffic in the crowded city and pump money to the sick subway system.
The plan charges most of the cars that enter the Central Business District of Manhattan, which extends from 60th Street to the southern end of the Financial District, a maximum rate of $ 9 from 5 am to 9 pm
The Trump administration sought to kill the program on February 19, with President Donald Trump declaring himself “king” in a social media post that celebrated the potential end of congestion prices.
The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, said in a letter to Hochul that the federal government has jurisdiction on the roads that lead to Manhattan, which makes the newly imposed copper an unfair burden for drivers outside the city of New York.
Hochul defended himself, declaring: “The cameras stay.”
The following week, the Trump administration gave New York until March 21 to end congestion prices. On March 20, Duffy receded the deadline 30 more days, according to Associated Press.
The transport department said on April 8 that it did not go back on the deadline of Sunday. It remains to be seen if the Trump administration will stop the congestion price.
Yasmeen Persaud and Andrew Sff, NBC New York contributed.
