The Biden administration was apparently blindsided by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s eleventh-hour decision to “pause” congestion pricing, a top official with the US Department of Transportation (US DOT) confirmed to reporters this week.
Polly Trottenberg, the Deputy Secretary of Transportation and #2 official at US DOT, told reporters on Monday that she was not aware Hochul would put the kibosh on the Manhattan toll, which was set to begin June 30, until after the governor made the announcement via a prerecorded video on June 5, just 25 days before the tolls were set to be turned on.
