Gov. Kathy Hochul put the brakes on the MTA’s plan to hike the price of the new Manhattan congestion toll by 25% on “gridlock alert” days after fierce backlash for the plan.
Hochul said Thursday that “under no circumstances” would she allow the extra charge on top of the $9 minimum toll set to kick in Jan. 5 for drivers headed into Manhattan’s business district.
“Hardworking New Yorkers deserve a break, which is why I fought to cut the congestion pricing toll by 40%,” Hochul said, referencing that the toll was originally set to be $15 before she tabled it – then resurrected it days after the November election.
“This will reduce traffic in Manhattan and fund long-overdue investments in public transit, while keeping costs lower for New Yorkers who drive into the city,” she added in a statement to The Post. “We have spoken to the MTA and made it clear: under no circumstances will I allow this discretionary 25% surcharge on gridlock days to be used.”
A source close to Hochul said the governor discussed the matter with MTA officials on Thursday, following The Post report on the surcharge, which was quietly slipped into a plan filed with the state.
The plan gives the MTA the authority to boost the minimum toll to $11.25 on some of the worst traffic days in the city.
The city Department of Transportation identified 20 days this year as “gridlock alerts” — when traffic is at its worst — 11 in December, four in November and five in September, when the United Nations General Assembly is in session.
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