New York City’s congestion tolling initiative is expected to stay active for at least several more months as legal battles between state leaders and the Trump administration continue to unfold.
A timeline proposed jointly in a legal filing on Friday outlines how the case may proceed, following threats made by President Donald Trump and his transportation secretary in February to halt the tolling system.
If approved by a federal judge in Manhattan, the proposed schedule would allow both parties to submit written arguments over several months, possibly extending into October or later. The toll would remain in operation during that time.
According to the filing, the federal government does not currently plan to seek a halt to the toll while the case plays out. The state has indicated it will continue running the system unless a judge issues an order requiring it to stop. However, the door remains open for either party—or others with a stake in the matter—to ask for a quicker decision on the program’s legality.
The tolling system charges most drivers $9 to access Manhattan south of 60th Street. It was created to ease traffic congestion and reduce pollution while generating funds for New York’s transit network, including subways, buses, and commuter trains operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The MTA projects $500 million in annual revenue from the toll, after costs, and reported that it brought in $100 million in just the first two months of 2025.
Since implementation, vehicle volume in the congestion zone has gone down. The MTA reported that March saw a 12% drop in cars entering the area compared to previous figures.
Still, critics have voiced concern about the financial burden the toll places on everyday drivers. The initiative is also being challenged in separate legal actions by the state of New Jersey—which claims the toll merely redirects traffic and emissions across the river—and by various organizations representing commuters from the suburbs, trucking companies, and other opponents.
Meanwhile, support for the toll among New Yorkers appears to be growing. A Siena College survey released March 10 showed that 42% now favor keeping the toll in place, while 35% think it should be scrapped. Back in December, only 32% supported it, with a 56% majority opposing it.
In mid-February, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans for the Federal Highway Administration to revoke a previous agreement with the MTA, which had allowed the state agency to start tolling drivers entering central Manhattan.
That announcement prompted the MTA to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that pulling back approval after the program had already launched would be illegal. The federal government initially set a March 21 deadline to end the tolling program but later moved that deadline to April 20.
{Matzav.com}