On April 21, after New York state once again refused to implement federal orders, the Secretary of Transportation sent a letter to the Governor of New York, extending the deadline for the second time by a month. At the same time, a warning was issued that if New York does not stop the congestion pricing plan in Manhattan, it will face “serious consequences”.
According to a public letter from Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy published on the Department of Transportation website, the federal government has given New York state another 30 days to prove that their non-compliance is illegal. If the illegal tolls continue unabated or if, after evaluating the response from the New York State Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will take punitive measures.
“President Trump and I will not stand by and allow Governor Hochu to launch class struggle, preventing working-class Americans from entering New York City,” said Secretary Duffy in the letter. “The federal government allocates billions of dollars to New York – but if Governor Hochu continues to implement illegal tolls to fill the burdened budget of New York’s transportation system, we will not foot the bill. We are giving New York one last chance to turn back or prove that their actions are not illegal.”
The Department of Transportation has clearly outlined the punitive measures that will be taken: apart from safety necessary projects designated by the Federal Highway Administration, projects in Manhattan will no longer receive further authorization for advance construction (AC); projects in Manhattan will no longer receive National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) approval; modifications to the statewide transportation improvement plan proposed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will not be approved.
If non-compliance persists, these measures may expand to encompass the entire city of New York and other regions of the state.
In the letter, Secretary Duffy strongly criticized Governor Hochu’s toll plan for disproportionately harming working-class drivers. He believes that the lack of free alternatives for drivers entering the toll zone in Manhattan is inconsistent with the previous value pricing pilot program (VPPP) implementation.
“The purpose of VPPP is to maintain highways and alleviate traffic congestion, not to rescue a poorly functioning transportation system,” emphasized Duffy. “(Congestion pricing) forces drivers to choose between two unattractive options: either paying exorbitant toll costs or using a poorly managed and dirty public transportation system.”
Duffy believes that taxpayers in New York have already funded the highways in the area, and congestion pricing is an additional charge.