WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has warned that the Federal Highway Administration will halt FHWA-backed projects and funding, except safety-related initiatives, if New York continues to levy a toll for entry to the New York city.
'President Trump and I will not sit back while Governor Hochul engages in class warfare and prices working-class Americans out of accessing New York City,' said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. 'The federal government sends billions to New York-but we won't foot the bill if Governor Hochul continues to implement an illegal toll to backfill the budget of New York's failing transit system. We are giving New York one last chance to turn back or prove their actions are not illegal.'
In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Duffy said the New York State Department has thirty days to state how their non-compliance is not illegal. If the unlawful tolls are not stopped, or after evaluating NYSDOT's response, FHWA determines that New York remains out of compliance, the agency will not advance construction authorizations for projects within the borough of Manhattan, except for projects determined by FHWA to be essential for safety.
No further NEPA approvals will be given for projects within the borough of Manhattan, except for safety projects.
Approvals will not be granted to Statewide Transportation Improvement Program amendments concerning New York Metropolitan Transportation Council TIP modifications.
In a letter to Governor Hochul, Secretary Duffy calls out the New York State Department of Transportation for failing to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation's deadline to stop charging the tolls and refusal to engage in any compliance discussions. These unlawful tolls forces drivers to pay to access federal-aid highways their tax dollars already funded.
In the letter, Secretary Duffy blasts Governor Hochul's tolling program, saying that it disproportionally hurts working-class drivers. He argues that the lack of toll-free alternatives for entering the cordoned area of Manhattan is inconsistent with prior Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP) implementations and forces drivers to choose between two unappealing options: pay a cost-prohibitive toll or use a mismanaged and dirty transit system.
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