It's the Brian Larry Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. So on Friday, the Federal Highway

Administration gave final approval to the new lower congestion pricing plan for Manhattan.

Have you heard that yet?

So barring judicial action beginning on Sunday, January 5th, yes, it begins on a Sunday,

drivers will be charged $9 to drive south of 60th Street during peak hours.

Now, as I'm sure you recall, Governor Hokel postponed

the original plan days before it was originally supposed to go into effect with a $15 toll months ago,

but now it's back at a 40% lower rate allowing the MTA to continue major capital programs,

many already underway. And you've been hearing

certainly that the governor resurrected it and took it down to $9. So the new development

since we last spoke is that the federal government gave its final approval on Friday. And this

matters because there was fear that Trump would come

in and cancel it. We'll hear now from one of the governor's main point people on congestion pricing.

It's Catherine Garcia, the governor's director of state operations. You might also remember her as

the sanitation commissioner in the de Blasio administration in the city

and a former mayoral candidate who came pretty close to winning the Democratic nomination in 2021,

but of course lost it to Eric Adams.

Welcome back. Catherine Garcia, welcome back to WNYC.

Do we have Catherine Garcia?

I can't hear her if we do.

Thank you for having me.

There we go.

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