The Metropolitan Transportation Agency (MTA) has disregarded a federal deadline set by Transport Secretary Sean Duffy to eliminate a $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street. In a pair of letters sent to Duffy, the MTA and the state Department of Transportation dismissed his threats regarding the potential withdrawal of federal funds as irrelevant.
Duffy issued multiple deadlines for the MTA to stop toll collection, and a lawsuit is currently in progress concerning congestion pricing. MTA lawyers claim Duffy’s repeated threats amount to “fake letter exchanges.” They argue that the Department of Transportation (USDOT) has already effectively decided to terminate the program without proper notice or due process.
State Attorney General Andrew Frank criticized Duffy’s legal reasoning, arguing that the concerns cited were simply an attempt to justify illegal moves to end the program. Despite the controversy, Governor Kathy Hochul stated that congestion pricing has proven beneficial, citing data indicating improved bus speeds and reduced travel times. The USDOT is reviewing the state’s responses to determine compliance, while ongoing debates about the toll and legal arguments continue in federal court.
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