NEW YORK (PIX11) -- It's back to the drawing board for some big transit projects as the MTA weighs the next steps after Gov. Hochul announced that congestion pricing plan will be paused indefinitely.
The MTA will meet for its regular board meeting at the end of the month and congestion pricing will again take center stage. MTA planners are reviewing current and future contracts for many major projects and a new proposal could require restarting parts of the process.
Discussions and debates about the topic will continue on the streets and subways.
Some transit projects and plans will be changing without the dedicated funding that was set to begin on June 30th. The MTA says the cameras installed at more than 100 locations south of 60th Street can be used to study vehicle flow for now.
Congestion pricing revenue was designed to allow the MTA to borrow billions more to fund major projects. MTA planners are reviewing the the impact on the project list, which includes installing fewer elevators, postponing improvements to increase train capacity, and pausing purchases of buses and trains.
Expansion projects would now have a lower priority. Accessibility projects have been completed at a record pace recently, in part, due to a lawsuit settlement. Advocates will keep pushing for new elevators as required by the agreement.
Joe Rappaport with the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled has a message for leaders. "I'd tell them to find the money. There's more than one way."
The MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber says the focus will be on service for the riders. "We have a tall order and we're behind the eight ball right now. That's why we are, frankly, taking serious steps to carve up the capital program and make sure we don't let it fall into the disrepair of the 1970s and 80s."
The agency will also prioritize safety-sensitive projects and a state of good repair, which is the day-to-day maintenance. The governor has said there will be funding for transit projects.
The agency's operating budget is a separate expenditure and process that is funded in part by fares and tolls.
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