NEW YORK (PIX11) – The New York City comptroller is expected to announce a legal challenge Wednesday to Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to delay congestion pricing, according to sources.
City Comptroller Brad Lander could announce several strategies aimed at overturning Hochul's indefinite halt on congestion pricing in court, sources said.
Lander's office confirmed he will join civic leaders on Wednesday for an announcement regarding what he calls an "eleventh-hour reversal" of congestion pricing. He is working with a stakeholder coalition that's preparing to point out several laws Hochul's decision allegedly violates, including a 2019 state statute saying the MTA shall implement congestion pricing, according to The New York Times.
The toll was projected to raise $1 billion a year by charging drivers $15 once a day for driving below Manhattan's 60th Street during peak hours.
The cameras set up to support congestion pricing will be used to study vehicle flow for now, according to the MTA.
The pause on congestion pricing is expected to delay installing new elevators, improvements to boost train capacity, new bus and train purchases and expansion projects, the MTA said.
Hochul said she's concerned congestion pricing could hinder the city's post-COVID pandemic recovery. She remains committed to improving the region's transit system through alternative revenue streams.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.