New City, NY – Manhattan’s congestion pricing program is set to remain in effect through the fall, following a court-approved timeline between the Trump administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), delaying any potential ruling on the controversial tolling system until at least mid-summer.
The agreement, submitted last Friday to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman and made public on Monday, indicates that additional legal filings could push proceedings into October. The program, which began January 5th, charges drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, with higher rates for trucks.
New York’s original deadline to end the program was March 23, following the Federal Highway Administration’s withdrawal of official support. However, New York State and the MTA filed court challenges to that move. The latest legal developments effectively pause enforcement against the tolling system, as federal officials confirmed they will not seek an injunction before the judge’s ruling.
Locally, Rockland County representatives are voicing strong opinions. Assemblyman Patrick Carroll (R-96th District), whose constituency includes Clarkstown and parts of Haverstraw and Orangetown, criticized federal interference: “The feds should just stay out of the issue.”
State Senator Bill Weber (R-38th District) noted that Governor Kathy Hochul and former President Trump met recently and surmised that congestion pricing was likely a topic of discussion. Weber has also proposed legislation to exempt Rockland County businesses from the MTA’s payroll mobility tax.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day stated “The County of Rockland is happy to support Senator Weber’s proposed legislation,” “This makes perfect sense, given the more than $40 million value gap between what Rockland County residents and businesses pay to the MTA each year and the service and funding we receive in return. The passage of this legislation will also mean significant savings for Rockland County businesses and certain self-employed residents, who combined pay tens of millions of dollars in payroll taxes to the MTA each year.”
Day also too the opportunity to remind Governor Hochul that she still hasn’t approved a Rockland representative to the MTA Board – a decision of which is overdue since 2023. “Despite originally submitting three willing candidates as required by law, two can no longer serve, but our preferred nominee Neil Cosgrove, a professional and qualified Rockland County resident, stands ready to serve.”
The MTA’s congestion pricing plan has seen fierce opposition from New Jersey officials, who argue that it unfairly burdens Garden State commuters. Governor Phil Murphy has led a legal effort to halt the program, asserting that the MTA aims to plug financial shortfalls rather than improve regional transit.
“Every day that congestion pricing continues in Manhattan’s Central Business District is another day that hardworking New Jerseyans are unfairly tolled to line the pockets of the mismanaged MTA,” Murphy said.
Despite the federal withdrawal of support, the Hochul administration and MTA allowed the March deadline to pass, letting tolling continue uninterrupted. The MTA defends the program as essential to reducing traffic and funding needed transit improvements. Critics, however, raise concerns about economic impacts on outer boroughs and suburban commuters.
A final ruling on the program’s legality isn’t expected until late summer or fall, as the legal battle between the federal government and the MTA unfolds.