President Donald Trump singled out the city's tunnels as part of his promise to boost spending on infrastructure.
Trump outlined plans to hike funding for bridge and roadway repairs during a meeting with the National Governors Association in Washington.
He claimed the Lincoln and Queens Midtown tunnels are falling apart and that loose tiles pose a threat to drivers.
"We are going to start spending on infrastructure big. And not like we have a choice. It's not like, 'Oh gee, let's hold it off.' Our highways, our bridges, are unsafe. Our tunnels, we have tunnels in New York where the tiles are on the ceiling and you see many tiles missing," Trump said. "And I say to myself, every time I drive through, I say, 'I wonder how many people are hurt or injured when they are driving at 40, 50 mph through a tunnel and a tile falls off."
The Port Authority says the tiles in the Lincoln Tunnel are intact and there have been no reports of falling tiles in the last 12 months.
The MTA says it is replacing tiles in Queens Midtown Tunnel as part of repairs from Hurricane Sandy.