WPCNR BIG APPLE NEWS. From The Gothomist. November 13, 2024:

Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to relaunch the MTA’s congestion pricing program with a $9 base toll for passenger cars — marking a 40% price reduction from the price previously approved by the MTA — according to four sources briefed on the governor’s plan.

The sources, who were not authorized to speak on the matter on Wednesday, said Hochul plans to eventually increase the base toll.

A separate source with direct knowledge of Hochul’s plan who was also not authorized to speak on the topic said the MTA board plans to approve the new tolls during its next meeting on Nov. 20 — and that Hochul plans to launch the program at midnight on Dec. 29.

The governor’s move comes just over a week after the election, and more than five months after she abruptly paused congestion pricing. New York state lawmakers first approved the program in 2019, with the goal of charging drivers a fee for entering Manhattan south of 60th Street. The revenue from the program is legally required to fund $15 billion worth of essential repairs to the MTA’s transit systems.

Representatives from the governor’s office and the MTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In pausing the program, Hochul claimed the new charges would be too costly for drivers who are already wrestling with inflation. Two sources said the governor was asked by congressional Democratic leaders to hold off on launching the tolls until after the election in hopes of winning competitive House races in the city’s suburbs.

The lower toll would save a motorist who drives into Manhattan five days a week $1,500 over the course of a year compared to the prior plan. But Hochul is expected to face questions as to whether the lower toll will discourage motorists from entering the city to reduce congestion in the same way a $15 toll would have, which was a key goal of congestion pricing

The tolls require the Federal Highway Administration’s signoff.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to kill the tolling program once he takes office, but transit advocates have said in recent weeks that Trump would have a harder time dismantling the tolling program if it were to launch by the time he takes office.