Name: NYC congestion pricing plan finally moving ahead as feds start clearing roadblocks set by Trump administration
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NYC congestion pricing plan finally moving ahead as feds start clearing roadblocks set by Trump administration

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AdvertisementBy Transit ReporterMar 30, 2021 at 11:02 amAfter more than a year of delay by the now-departed Trump administration, New York City’s plan to toll motorists who drive south of 61st St. in Manhattan is finally moving ahead.The Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority what type of environmental review the agency must complete before launching its congestion pricing program.AdvertisementThe feds said the MTA can submit an environmental assessment, a much speedier process than drafting an environmental impact statement, which would have required New York officials to list alternatives to the planned tolling program.The step by President Biden’s administration is the feds’ first major move forward on congestion pricing since 2019, when New York’s Legislature approved the plan. Because many of Manhattan’s streets receive federal funding, the program is subject to U.S. Department of Transportation approval.AdvertisementCongestion pricing was originally to go live at the start of 2021, with the toll revenues required to bring in enough money to fund $15 billion of the MTA’s $51.5 billion 2020-2024 capital plan that aims to overhaul New York’s mass transit networks.The Trump administration’s slow-walking of the congestion pricing plan — its officials never said yes or no to the program — led MTA officials in November to say the program’s launch .Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack said Tuesday the new guidance allows for a “prompt and informed” review of how congestion pricing will affect the environment.“This approach will ensure that the public participates as local and state leaders explore new possibilities for reducing congestion, improving air quality and investing in transit to increase ridership,” Pollack said in a statement, noting the process will require input from officials in New Jersey and Connecticut as well.Before launching the environmental assessment process, the U.S. Transportation Department must first admit the MTA to the federal Value Pricing Pilot Program, which first launched in 1991 and allows state and local governments “to implement congestion pricing applications and report on their effects.”MTA spokeswoman Abbey Collins said the MTA applied to enter the Value Pricing Pilot Program two years ago, but has not yet been admitted.“It’s more important than ever that our region has a strong and robust MTA to help power the economic recovery from this unprecedented crisis, and as traffic returns to prepandemic levels we must tackle congestion,” said MTA Chairman Patrick Foye.MTA officials on Tuesday were not sure how long the environmental assessment process would take — but the agency still has a good deal of work to do before drivers start paying congestion tolls in Manhattan.AdvertisementThe MTA board must appoint a six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board to advise on how much tolls will cost motorists and any groups of drivers who should be exempt from them.As it happensGet updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. &gt; “The good thing about the law is it has a revenue target the TMRB [Traffic Mobility Review Board] has to meet that in making their recommendations,” said Rachael Fauss, an analyst at the good government group Reinvent Albany. “But the rub is going to be what additional exemptions they look at. We and other advocates think they should have as few exemptions as possible.”The traffic mobility review board was required to issue its recommendations no earlier than Nov. 15, 2020 — but the law sets no outside deadline for the group’s work. MTA officials said they’d been waiting for federal guidance before appointing its members.The MTA is also required by law to hold public hearings before starting the toll program, which is to cover all of Manhattan south of 61st St. except for the West Side Highway and FDR Drive.The state must also cover the tolling area with . The MTA board in 2019 inked a $507 million contract with Tennessee-based tech company TransCore to install and manage the infrastructure — but the vendor cannot begin the installations until the environmental review is finished.Once all that’s done, the MTA is still required by law to wait 30 days after launching the program to start charging tolls — and another 60 days after that to charge fines to drivers who fail to pay them.AdvertisementFoye said the MTA “is ready to hit the ground running.”“We are already working on preliminary design for the roadway toll system and infrastructure,” he said. “We look forward to working with our colleagues at the Federal Highway Administration to conduct the review and broad public outreach so that we can move forward with the remainder of the program as soon as possible.” Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Transit ReporterMar 30, 2021 at 11:02 amAfter more than a year of delay by the now-departed Trump administration, New York City’s plan to toll motorists who drive south of 61st St. in Manhattan is finally moving ahead.The Federal Highway Administration on Tuesday told the Metropolitan Transportation Authority what type of environmental review the agency must complete before launching its congestion pricing program.AdvertisementThe feds said the MTA can submit an environmental assessment, a much speedier process than drafting an environmental impact statement, which would...

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NYC congestion pricing plan finally moving ahead as feds start clearing roadblocks set by Trump administration

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