Secretary Duffy,
Regional Plan Association (RPA) appreciates the opportunity to provide input on the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill. For over a century, RPA has worked to advance bold ideas that promote mobility, equity, and prosperity across the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metropolitan region. The next reauthorization presents an important opportunity to modernize our national transportation program so it meets the challenges of economic competitiveness and regional integration.
We urge USDOT and Congress to prioritize the following:
1. Support for the Gateway Program
The Gateway Program is the single most important infrastructure investment for the nation’s economy. With work underway to build new tunnels between New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River and rehabilitate the existing 115-year old tunnels, the Hudson River Tunnel Project is set to increase reliability for the entire Northeast Corridor. To maximize the impact of this investment, we urge the federal government to support the completion of the full Gateway Program which will eliminate bottlenecks on the 10-mile stretch from Newark to New York Penn Station and allow for a doubling of train capacity.
Building the full Gateway program will allow for significantly more NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak service, improving people’s commutes while generating significant economic benefits. This year, RPA released a study which found that implementing the full Gateway Program will create and sustain an average of 46,100 jobs annually, and generate $445 billion in economic benefits through 2060.
Federal funding and programmatic support for Gateway will ensure safe, reliable rail service for hundreds of thousands of daily riders and unlock significant economic and system resiliency benefits.
2. Maintain funding for mass transit
The economy of the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut metropolitan area is among the largest and most dynamic in the world. Its $2 trillion gross domestic product relies on the daily interactions of businesses, workers, and consumers in urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout a 31-county region stretching from northern New Jersey to Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and southwestern Connecticut. Our region depends on one of the largest and most complex transit systems in the world. Millions of people travel on buses, subways, commuter rail, and ferries every day to access jobs, education, healthcare, and opportunity.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) serves an average of 5.5 million rides by subway, bus, or commuter train every weekday. Riders come from all walks of life and use public transit for a wide range of purposes. The MTA is the backbone of the most job-dense economy in the U.S. The New York region employs 1,653 people per square mile, which is 37 times the U.S. average. This urban density and the transit system that makes it possible are the reasons that New York can achieve one of the world’s largest and most highly productive economies. Improvements to core infrastructure, particularly those with frequent or significant impacts to service, mean fewer people will be late for work and appointments, more businesses will be willing to invest in the region, and there will be fewer major disruptions to the life of the city.
NJ TRANSIT is the third-largest public transportation system in the country making it one of its most vital. Every weekday, it moves more than 720,000 people, connecting residents to jobs, school, and healthcare, and helping riders get to jobs where they earn more than $37 billion collectively in annual wages. A recent study conducted by RPA found that NJ TRANSIT produces between $12.7 and 13.8 billion per year. Service provided by NJ TRANSIT provides $10,100 in annual economic benefits per household in the communities we analyzed. The loss of those benefits would be equivalent to a 22–76% increase in rent or 13–40% increase in mortgage costs.
Strong federal support is essential to maintain, modernize, and expand regional transit systems so they can serve a growing population and adapt to changing travel patterns. Investment in transit is not only critical to keeping the region moving, it is vital to sustaining the economic engine of the Northeast and the nation as a whole.
3. Advance Congestion Pricing and Road Pricing
Congestion pricing in New York City is a model for how metropolitan regions can reduce traffic, improve air quality, and generate dedicated funding for mass transit. After eight months of operation, the program has clearly demonstrated measurable success for relieving traffic congestion, developing our nation’s economic capital in New York City and the broader region, and generating critical revenue for infrastructure projects.
RPA found that since the start of the Central Business District Tolling Program (CBDTP) on January 5th, 2025 the program has reduced traffic not only in Manhattan’s congestion relief zone but on roadways across the region.Traffic delays in Manhattan are 25% lower than would be expected without the CBDTP and delays in the region outside of Manhattan are 9% lower than would be expected without the CBDTP.
Support for the program is growing, and the numbers speak for themselves:
Nearly 13 million fewer vehicles have entered the congestion relief zone since January.
Traffic injuries are down 13%.
Bus speeds have improved by up to 15%.
Bus ridership is up 13%, and subway ridership is up over 8%.
Honking complaints have decreased nearly 70%.
Fire response times have decreased nearly 3% in the congestion relief zone.
Fine particle pollution (PM2.5) is decreasing both inside and outside of the congestion relief zone.
School buses are arriving on time 72% of the time compared to 58% last year, translating to roughly 30 more minutes of class time each week.
The Access-A-Ride paratransit system is 5% faster with the zone, moving passengers with disabilities more swiftly.
The program has generated more than $215 million in revenue to date and is on track to raise $15 billion total, contributing to an upgrade of the authority’s bond rating from A- to A, signaling their stronger financial position.
This revenue supports approximately 100,000 jobs through MTA contracts
As the statistics above illustrate, the Congestion Relief Zone program is already delivering transformative results: speeding up commutes, reducing traffic, improving air quality, and investing in the public transit system, including vital accessibility projects, that millions of people throughout the region rely on every day.
Perhaps most importantly, this program is making New York more financially self-sufficient which allows the state to better match federal transit contributions. The more than $215 million raised by the program is already being invested in critical projects to upgrade core infrastructure that New York businesses and residents rely on: increasing accessibility to dozens of subway stations, modernizing subway signals, replacing antiquated railcars, extending the Second Avenue Subway and delivering dedicated funding to upgrade the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Commuter Railroad. The program is on track to help secure financing for its projected $15 billion for transit capital improvement projects through user fees, which helps New York use taxpayer dollars more responsibly elsewhere and ensures the long-term stability of the region’s transportation network. It is precisely the kind of fiscally responsible, forward-looking policy USDOT should be supporting.
Federal policy should encourage states and regions to adopt similar tools, including road usage charges, variable tolling, and congestion zones. These mechanisms both manage travel demand and create sustainable revenue streams for transportation infrastructure.
4. Fund Alternative Modes of Transportation
The reauthorization should prioritize investments in transit, biking, walking, and emerging shared mobility options. Shifting trips from cars to more sustainable modes improves public health, and increases access to opportunity. Dedicated, flexible funding for alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles will help regions like the New York - New Jersey - Connecticut tri-state area improve mobility for all.
RPA stands ready to partner with USDOT in shaping a transportation program that strengthens our economy, reduces congestion and emissions, and expands access to opportunity for all.
