Gov.Kathy Hochul put the brakes on the MTA’s plan to hike the price of the new Manhattan congestion toll by 25% on “gridlock alert” days after fierce backlash for the plan.Hochul said Thursday that “under no circumstances” would she allow the extra charge on top of the $9 minimum toll set to kick in Jan.
5 for drivers headed into Manhattan’s business district.“Hardworking New Yorkers deserve a break, which is why I fought to cut the congestion pricing toll by 40%,” Hochul said, referencing that the toll was originally set to be $15 before she tabled it – then resurrected it days after the November election.“This will reduce traffic in Manhattan and fund long-overdue investments in public transit, while keeping costs lower for New Yorkers who drive into the city,” she added in a statement to The Post.“We have spoken to the MTA and made it clear: under no circumstances will I allow this discretionary 25% surcharge on gridlock days to be used.”A source close to Hochul said the governor discussed the matter with MTA officials on Thursday, following The Post report on the surcharge, which was quietly slipped into a plan filed with the state.The plan gives the MTA the authority to boost the minimum toll to $11.25 on some of the worst traffic days in the city.The city Department of Transportation identified 20 days this year as “gridlock alerts” — when traffic is at its worst — 11 in December, four in November and five in September, when the United Nations General Assembly is in session....