Federal judge blocks USDOT efforts to cancel NYC congestion toll

Judge Lewis Liman of the Southern District of New York on May 27 temporarily blocked U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from withholding federal funding or approvals from New York in an attempt to kill a congestion toll program in Manhattan.

Duffy on April 21 threatened that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) could halt federal funding for highway projects in New York and take other actions if New York Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn't end a congestion toll program that provides funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The Trump administration claims the program is an illegal toll, as under federal law roads built using federal funding cannot charge tolls.

However, in November 2024, the Biden administration approved an exemption for a congestion reduction toll program in New York City's central business district. Shortly after the second Trump administration began, Duffy informed Hochul he was terminating the toll program; Hochul and MTA took the Trump administration to court over the matter.

 "New Yorkers deserve to control our own traffic patterns, keep gridlock off our streets and protect our clean air," said Hochul in a statement issued after the judge's ruling. "We need to make the massive investments necessary to support our transit system and prevent it from falling into disarray and disrepair. Congestion pricing is the right solution to get us there."