New York is once again moving to adopt the nation’s first-of-its-kind congestion pricing program to ease traffic and raise money for mass transit. That means drivers may have to pay to enter the most congested parts of Manhattan as soon as early January.
The Federal Highway Administration has granted the final bureaucratic approval to the proposal. Gov. Kathy Hochul had revived the tolling plan, which she abruptly paused in June over concerns that it could slow New York City’s post-pandemic recovery. But now, five months later, Ms. Hochul has brought back the program with reduced tolls.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subway and buses and two commuter rail lines, is racing against the clock to push the plan through before a powerful critic, President-elect Donald J. Trump, takes office. Mr. Trump has vowed to kill the program in his first week in office.
The revised plan would offer a significant break to drivers: a 40 percent toll reduction across the board for all types of vehicles as well as for travel during off-peak hours. The peak toll for most passenger cars will now be $9, instead of $15.
The tolling revenue would still be used to raise $15 billion for the M.T.A. to make critical repairs and upgrades to New York City’s transit network.
When would the tolling begin?
Congestion pricing is expected to begin just after midnight on Jan. 5. The state has already spent more than half a billion dollars to get the program going, much of it for cameras and tolling software that are ready to go.
The Federal Highway Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has signed off on the program, as have the state and city Transportation Departments.
There are no more government requirements, but the plan could still be stopped by lawsuits or by the incoming president.
How would it work?
Most drivers would have to pay a fee to enter a designated congestion zone, which would run from 60th Street to the Battery. That area includes some of the city’s most famous destinations and neighborhoods, like the theater district, Times Square, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea and SoHo.
The tolls would vary by time of day, with the highest tolls during the peak period from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Outside those hours, the tolls would be 75 percent cheaper, to encourage more travel when the traffic is lighter.
Through traffic on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and on the West Side Highway along the borough’s edges would not be charged congestion fees as long as the driver stayed on the highways.
The tolls would be collected mainly through the E-ZPass system, which many drivers already use to pay tolls on bridges, tunnels and highways. Electronic detection points have been placed at entrances to and exits from the tolling zone.
Drivers without an E-ZPass reader would be charged at a higher rate. They would be identified through cameras that would take photos of their license plates and would receive bills in the mail.
What are the revised tolls?
Most passenger cars would now be charged $9 once a day to enter the congestion zone at peak hours, and $2.25 at other times.
Those riding motorcycles would pay $4.50 at peak times, and $1.05 off-peak, because they are smaller and contribute less to congestion.
Smaller commercial trucks and some buses would pay a toll of $14.40 at peak hours and $3.60 at other times. Larger trucks and tour buses would pay $21.60 at peak hours, and $5.40 off-peak.
Passengers riding in taxis and other for-hire vehicles, including Ubers, would have a per-ride surcharge added to their fares at all times in the congestion zone. The surcharge would be 75 cents for a taxi, green cab or black car, and $1.50 for an Uber or Lyft, for each trip to, from, within or through the congestion zone.
Who would receive exemptions, credits and discounts?
There are limited exemptions from the tolls, in an effort to evenly spread out the burden of the tolls and raise enough money for the M.T.A. Drivers of certain vehicles carrying people with disabilities and authorized emergency vehicles would not be charged.
Some residents inside the congestion zone may be eligible for a state tax credit equal to the amount of their tolls.
Low-income drivers would be able to register for a 50 percent discount on all trips into the tolling zone after the first 10 trips in a month.
During peak hours, drivers who enter Manhattan via four tunnels that already require tolls — the Lincoln, Holland, Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown — would receive a proposed credit of up to $3 against the daily congestion charge.
What could stop it?
Before Ms. Hochul paused congestion pricing, a growing number of opponents — including Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, an influential teachers’ union and some New York elected officials — had mobilized to block the program.
At least nine lawsuits have been filed against congestion pricing by opponents, including by Mr. Murphy and the Trucking Association of New York. Those lawsuits are still pending and some of these opponents are continuing to fight. The courts could potentially halt or delay the program.
Five House Republicans representing parts of New York City and its suburbs have also written to Mr. Trump calling on him to block the program.
“We request your commitment to ending this absurd congestion-pricing cash grab once and for all,” wrote the lawmakers, Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito.
If the plan is not in place by the time he takes office, Mr. Trump could direct federal transportation officials to withhold their approval. And even if it is already running, he could still try to retract federal approval or threaten to withhold federal funding for New York City, legal and transportation experts said, though either measure is likely to end up in a court battle.
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