Latest news with #USDepartmentofTransportation
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Judge blocks Trump from retaliating against NY over congestion toll
A federal judge in New York has temporarily prevented US President Donald Trump from retaliating against the state over its Manhattan congestion toll. Judge Lewis Liman on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the federal government from withholding federal funds or taking other punitive actions against the state at least until June 9 while he weighs a lawsuit the state has filed against the federal government to keep the toll in place. The toll on drivers entering the busiest part of Manhattan was approved under former president Joe Biden, but has been strongly opposed by Trump, a native New Yorker whose namesake Trump Tower and other properties are within the congestion zone. The Republican administration rescinded federal approval in February, prompting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency overseeing the tolls, to challenge the decision. In recent months, Trump officials have issued three ultimatums to New York, even threatening to pull funding and approvals for transportation projects. But New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said the state will continue collecting the toll until a judge orders it to stop. The Democrat touted Tuesday's ruling, which came after Liman heard arguments from both sides in the Manhattan federal court, as a massive victory for New York commuters. New Yorkers deserve to control our own traffic patterns, keep gridlock off our streets and protect our clean air, Hochul said in a statement. We need to make the massive investments necessary to support our transit system and prevent it from falling into disarray and disrepair. Congestion pricing is the right solution to get us there. Halee Dobbins, a spokesperson for the US Department of Transportation, said the administration will comply with the court order, stressing the judge's decision is only temporary and not on the merits of the case itself. We look forward to making our case in court against Hochul's illegal tolls as we work to protect working-class Americans from being unfairly charged to go to work, see their families, or visit the city, she said. The toll started in January and generally imposes USD 9 on drivers entering Manhattan south of Central Park, though it varies depending on the kind of vehicle and time of day. New York officials say the program is already helping to reduce traffic and will eventually pump billions of dollars into its subways, commuter trains and public buses. Suburban commuters have pushed back against the toll, though, because it comes on top of existing ones for crossing bridges and tunnels into the city. London, Stockholm and other big cities around the world have long had similar fees to reduce traffic congestion in their central business districts.
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
NY Wins Order Against US Funding Freeze in Congestion Fight
New York won a court order temporarily barring the Trump administration from withholding federal approvals or funds for the state's transportation projects, as the president tries to end Manhattan's congestion pricing program. The administration has threatened to hold back the funds and permissions unless New York stops charging tolls to drive into the borough's tolled zone. US District Judge Lewis Liman on Tuesday granted a request by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to block such efforts by the federal government through June 9 while he considers whether the US has the legal right to terminate the toll. Liman's ruling means the program — meant to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise money to modernize the city's transit system — will almost certainly continue as the legal battle proceeds. It helps reduce uncertainty over how the nation's largest public transportation system will pay to modernize a more than 100-year-old network. The judge ordered the two sides to meet to decide how to speed up the process, saying there is a 'public interest in moving the case along.' The ruling is a win for local government as the Trump administration withdraws support for regional projects or takes over development. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has cited subway system crime in wielding the threat of withheld funds, and announced in April that the federal government, instead of the MTA, would be in charge of renewing New York's Penn Station. Earlier this month President Donald Trump said the US wouldn't finance California's high-speed rail project, which suffers from delays and escalating costs. 'No More Coercive Threats' Outside court on Tuesday after Liman ruled, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber greeted the ruling as a welcome warning from the judge to the government. 'The message is he wants no more coercive threats and threats of punishment if we don't do what they say. That was pretty clear. So I don't think we're going to have another letter like that,' Lieber said of Duffy's threats. The judge 'wants the parties to come up with a schedule for this litigation that will put it behind us.' Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement that the court order is 'a massive victory for New York commuters, vindicating our right as a state to make decisions regarding what's best for our streets.' The judge found that the MTA had demonstrated that it was likely to succeed in its claims. He said it would probably suffer 'irreparable harm' without a temporary restraining order, noting that the government's effort to undo US approval of the congestion pricing program had already affected the value of MTA bonds. 'Enforcement actions for noncompliance were merely under consideration, and we will comply with the judge's request to hold,' a spokesperson for the US Department of Transportation said in a statement. 'We look forward to making our case in court against Hochul's illegal tolls as we work to protect working-class Americans from being unfairly charged to go to work, see their families or visit the city.' The program has operated under a cloud of uncertainty since it began almost five months ago, as Trump tries to stop it. The MTA sued Duffy after he sent a letter on Feb. 19 reversing US approval of the plan won under former President Joe Biden. The suit seeks a court declaration that the attempt to halt the program is illegal. Trump has said the congestion pricing plan will hurt the local economy, and Duffy in February called it 'a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.' Hochul says the toll was urgently needed and has pointed to MTA data to show it is working. New York maintains it won't stop the tolls unless the court tells it to. QuickTake: How Trump Is Trying to Ax New York's Congestion Toll Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for the MTA, said accepting the US position 'would give the government the unilateral right to terminate any contract it enters into' and is a 'recipe for chaos' that would create an 'eternal fog of uncertainty.' Charles Roberts, a lawyer for the US, said the administration still hasn't decided whether the MTA is in violation of their contract or whether to implement any of the compliance measures it laid out in an April letter that ordered the state to shut down the program by May 21. 'Obviously if we had said compliance measures begin tomorrow, that would be Damocles' sword,' he said. 'That's not Damocles' sword. That's an ongoing agency process that hasn't been consummated. They are not imminent.' The MTA runs the city's subways, buses and commuter lines and is implementing the new toll. Its $68.4 billion 2025—2029 capital program is counting on $14 billion of federal funding. Projects at risk in the near term include $2.2 billion of plans for subway and bus maintenance, along with railroad track work the state recently submitted for federal approval, according to court documents. Duffy had threatened to start withholding authorizations and federal money as soon as Wednesday if the MTA continues to charge drivers under the congestion program. Most motorists pay $9 during peak hours to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. The toll brought in $159 million in the first three months of the program and is on target to raise $500 million this year after expenses, according to MTA officials. The MTA anticipates borrowing against the revenue collections to finance $15 billion of transit upgrades that will renew train signals from the 1930s, add elevators to stations and extend the Second Avenue Subway to Harlem. The fee has helped ease traffic in the area. About 8.1 million fewer vehicles entered Manhattan's central business district from the launch of the tolling on Jan. 5 through April, for a daily average decline of 11%, according to MTA data. While many drivers grumble at paying more to get to work, appointments and other events, support for the toll is growing as people experience faster commutes and less traffic. A Siena College Poll conducted May 12-15 found that 39% of registered voters in the state want the fee to remain, up from 29% in December who supported it. The case is Metropolitan Transportation Authority v. Duffy, 25-cv-1413, US District Court, Southern District of New York . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Several local Louisiana bridges in poor condition, Texas and Arkansas fare better
SHREVEPORT, La., (KTAL/KMSS) — A recently released US Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study rating the condition of bridges across the country shows several in the area are considered 'poor'. Progress on new four-lane Jimmie Davis Bridge in Shreveport-Bossier In Louisiana, Red River Parish had the highest percentage of bridges judged as poor in the state (20/63 bridges, 32%). East Baton Rouge Parish had the most poor bridges overall (114/547, 21%). Other notable low scores in the area include (all percentages are rounded): Claiborne Parish – 44/479, 30% Bienville Parish – 52/188, 28%Webster Parish – 51/194, 26% The rest of the area fares much better: Bossier Parish – 47/269, 17%Natchitoches Parish – 52/315, 17%Sabine Parish – 22/199, 11%Caddo Parish – 56/685, 8%DeSoto Parish – 13/201, 6% Final phase of major I-20 rehab project begins in Bossier Parish The local Texas counties performed very well under this examination. 8% (14/177) of Shelby County bridges received 'poor' grades. Bowie, Harrison, Marion, and Panola Counties were all below 5%, while Cass and Morris Counties had zero poor ratings. In Arkansas, Lafayette (6%), Little River (7%), and Sevier Counties (5%) ranked worst in the area. Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Miller, and Nevada all had less than 5% judged as 'poor'. McCurtain County, Oklahoma, had 263 bridges examined, 31 of which (12%) were poor. Inspectors use a variety of criteria when determining overall scores including age, design, construction, maintenance, and traffic load. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Insider
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's son still hasn't gotten his license and uses ride-hailing instead. He's not alone
Uber 's quest to compete with owning a car has come home for CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Like many young people, Khosrowshahi's son doesn't have his license despite being over 18. The reason: he can get around using the ride-hailing app that his father oversees, the CEO said on an episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast. "I'm still trying to get my son to get his driver's license, but Uber's freed him up," Khosrowshahi said. Uber executives have long said that they view their ride-hailing offering as an alternative to car ownership. Khosrowshahi's son and others like him show how much progress Uber may have made on that front. In 2023, about 33% of eligible drivers aged 19 or under had a license, according to data from the US Department of Transportation. In 2003, it was 45%. Ride-hailing apps like Uber, which was founded in 2009, are one of the reasons for that decline, Khosrowshahi said. "It is absolutely having an effect on car ownership," he said of the company. Uber did not respond to a request for additional comment from Business Insider. Driving is one of a few life milestones for young adults that some members of Gen Z are holding off on reaching, along with their first romantic relationships and entering the workforce. While some are waiting because of personal choice, others say economic realities are limiting what they can achieve. Khosrowshahi also said that the shift away from driving among young people marks a cultural change. For decades, many young people have gotten their driver's licenses as soon as they're old enough to. Podcast host Nilay Patel said that he got his license at 15-and-a-half while growing up in Wisconsin, for instance. "It was a goal in life," Khosrowshahi said. "It represented freedom." Uber started offering a version of its app for teens in 2023. Since then, the company has integrated rides for young people into its broader offering. It now lets parents request rides for their kids as well as share their benefits from Uber One, the company's paid subscription program. In March, Khosrowshahi said at an investor conference that teens were among the "new demographics that we're going after." The company has also introduced a streamlined version of its app for seniors to use. Khosrowshahi said that Uber doesn't keep estimates of how many people — teens or other demographic groups — might have avoided buying a car because they use Uber. But he did say on the podcast that car ownership is still "the big Kahuna" that Uber is targeting with its ride-hailing business.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US transportation secretary changed wife's flight from Newark after ongoing issues at airport
Sean Duffy, the Trump administration's transportation secretary, has revealed that he switched flights for his wife this week to help her avoid flying out of beleaguered Newark Liberty, one of the busiest airports in the New York area. Duffy's disclosure on Monday followed his repeated assurances to the American public that it is safe to fly from Newark, despite a spate of dramatic outages affecting the airport's radar systems that is causing ongoing disruption and delays. On Sunday, the transportation secretary went on NBC News's Meet the Press and insisted Newark was safe. 'It is,' he protested. 'I fly out of Newark all the time, my family flies out of Newark.' Related: US transportation secretary plans to reduce flights at Newark airport Hours later, speaking to the conservative radio host David Webb on SiriusXM, he said: 'My wife was flying out of Newark tomorrow, I switched her flight to LaGuardia'. A spokesperson for the US Department of Transportation said that the flight was changed for scheduling purposes not for safety reasons. They added: 'It's safe to fly out of Newark. We are fixing the problems.' Newark Liberty is one of the biggest airports in the New York area and the 12th busiest in the US. In 2023, it served more than 49 million passengers, its heaviest load on record. For several months the airport has been troubled by technical glitches, combined with a shortage of air traffic controllers and runway construction. In the past two weeks it has suffered three radar outages because of computer problems, traumatizing its staff and causing disruption to flights. The most serious communications blackout last Friday lasted for 90 seconds, during which time contact was broken between the control tower and planes. Staff shortages have also become severe. On Monday the airport's scheduled roster of 14 air traffic controllers was depleted to just three, leading to delays in flights of up to seven hours. The ongoing travails at Newark have presented Duffy and the Trump administration with a messaging problem. The transportation secretary has tried to offload blame on the previous presidency of Joe Biden, but at the same time he has attempted to reassure passengers and radiate confidence in the future. His criticisms of the Biden administration prompted a rebuke from his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg. The former transportation secretary said that Duffy 'needs to spend more time doing what the American people are paying him to do – fix problems – and less time blaming others'. Duffy's challenge has been compounded by the actions of Elon Musk and his government-slashing crew, Doge, which has imposed cuts in staff at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency responsible for air safety. Duffy insisted to Meet the Press that none of the staff cuts had involved safety positions such as air traffic controllers, but he did admit that some of those let go had since returned to their posts. 'Elon and I get on really well … He understands the importance of the air space and the need to have good controllers,' Duffy said.
