Trump administration kills New York City’s congestion pricing

The Trump administration is moving ahead with its plan to kill New York City’s congestion pricing – a controversial program designed to help raise millions in critical infrastructure funding.

The Trump administration is moving ahead with its plan to kill New York City’s congestion pricing – a controversial program designed to help raise millions in critical infrastructure funding. In a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Department of Transportation would rescind the agreement effectively ending the tolling structure which went into effect early this year. “New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” Duffy wrote in his letter. “Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.” The program, originally signed on November 21, created a $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during peak traffic hours. The effort, which has been in the works in New York City for decades, was supposed to help raise millions of dollars in critical funding for the city’s aging transportation infrastructure and help ease congestion in some of the city’s most clogged streets. A spokesperson for Hochul did not immediately return a request for comment. In his letter, Duffy argued the city’s tolling system contradicts the federal highway program which does not allow tolling on roads built with federal funds unless Congress provides an exemption.