Aug 7, 2007 5:53 pm US/Eastern
NYC Still Waiting For Answer On $500 Million Aid
With Congestion Commission On Horizon, Bloomberg Urges Patience
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) ―
The federal government likely won't decide this week if New York gets $500 million or more to help impose a plan to reduce congestion in much of Manhattan -- though no one Tuesday would give a reason for the delay.
City and state officials had been saying for weeks that the U.S. Department of Transportation would decide this week which five of nine cities were eligible for a share of $1.2 billion in traffic reduction aid.
But on Tuesday, the mayor said he didn't expect a decision, and state officials agreed.
"I'm sure when they are ready to say something they will announce it and we will see what happens," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in New York.
The federal agency, which has for weeks refused to answer questions on the issue, did not return a call for comment Tuesday.
The mayor's plan aims to reduce traffic and air pollution by charging cars $8 and trucks $21 to enter the city's busiest neighborhoods.
City and state officials had for weeks argued the state Legislature needed to act quickly to meet federal deadlines for approval of the plan.
Partly because of that time pressure, the Legislature last month agreed to form a commission that will examine the overall concept of reducing traffic. The primary plan that the commission will study is Bloomberg's proposal, through hearings, testimony and reviews of every aspect of traffic congestion. The group is to make a recommendation by Jan. 31.
As city officials tried to sell the plan to skeptical local lawmakers, they insisted New York could receive as much as $537 million in federal aid if they acted quickly to approve the plan because Washington was set to announce who would win the money in early August.
Bloomberg aides claimed New York was one of nine cities competing for five federal aid packages to help reduce traffic.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
