Hochul to roll out revised toll plan for Manhattan

NEW YORK — A revised proposal for a controversial Manhattan toll plan will be unveiled Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to four people with knowledge of the announcement.

Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to endorse a $9 surcharge for entering parts of Manhattan during peak hours — a reduction from the $15 toll that was due to take effect this summer, according to two people with direct knowledge who were granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

The $9 toll could also increase in the coming years, two people familiar with the conversations said.

The governor in June paused the toll plan, known as congestion pricing, over concerns the program would hurt Democratic candidates in crucial House races.

But with the elections over, Hochul is moving forward with an alternative congestion pricing program. Revenue from the tolls is expected to leverage $15 billion in bonds for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and shore up the New York City region's creaky mass transit infrastructure.

Hochul is walking a political tightrope with the announcement to bring back the tolls as restive voters remain concerned over pocketbook issues like the cost of living.

A Siena College poll in July found voters largely approved of her decision to pause the plan. And Hochul, who remains unpopular with voters statewide, has insisted the $15 toll was too expensive for working New Yorkers to pay when commuting into the city's business district.

But the plan has won support from influential business interests in New York City as well as left-leaning transit activists — two crucial constituencies for Hochul when she is expected to run for reelection in 2026.

A spokesperson for Hochul's office declined to comment for this story and instead referred POLITICO to comments the governor made Wednesday when she said an announcement on congestion pricing is expected soon.

Still, a revival of the tolls will also run into a buzzsaw in Washington.

New York House Republicans have been staunchly opposed to congestion pricing and have urged President-elect Donald Trump to rescind federal approval for the program.

Hochul's new $9 target for the tolls is meant to avoid another lengthy federal environmental review. POLITICO reported last week the governor's office had asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to determine if the lower surcharge would satisfy federal requirements.

The MTA's board members are expecting to be briefed on the plan at 1 p.m. Thursday at a regularly scheduled check-in ahead of the formal board meeting next Wednesday.

The governor's announcement will come the day before she was expected to answer legal challenges to her "pause" unveiled this summer by environmental groups, transit advocates and city Comptroller Brad Lander.