Under Governor Kathy Hochul, the Federal Highway Administration has permitted the Manhattan tolling program to begin with a lower $9 daily toll. This federal government’s sign-off was necessary, as Hocul planned to raise the base gradually fare, which was hit with an “indefinite” pause until recently. Drivers will not be hit with the daytime toll pricing until 2031.
Catherine Sheridan, president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels/Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, wrote: “We are pleased to have received formal approval from the Federal Highway Administration for the phase-in feature of the Central Business District Tolling Program.”
The governor has stated that the fees will affect drivers who enter Manhattan south of 60th Street–unless they remain on the West Side Highway, FDR Drive, or the Battery Park Underpass. The MTA will begin collecting toll fees on January 5.
Tolls for E-ZPass Drivers Will Be Less
Drivers with regular passenger vehicles with E-ZPass will pay $9 during peak travel from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, and $2.25 during the overnight periods.
Passenger vehicles without E-ZPass will pay $13.50 during peak periods and $3.30 overnight.
Federal highway official Richard Marquis wrote that further analysis would only be needed after initiating the tolls.
“The phase-in of the adopted toll structure and impacts associated with it was analyzed and mitigated accordingly. FHWA finds that no additional environmental analysis is warranted,” Marquis wrote in his letter to the transit authority, released on November 22.
The City, State, and Federal Government Signed Off on Program
Hochul initiated her pause of congestion pricing when she withheld her administration’s signature from a document for the Value Pricing Pilot program. The city, state, and the federal government signed the form on Thursday.
“Public transit riders are one big step closer to more reliable trains, accessible stations and faster buses. After years of campaigning and holding our leaders accountable, relief cannot come soon enough,” Betsy Plum, the Riders Alliance nonprofit executive director, said in a statement. “Decongesting America’s most gridlocked neighborhoods will speed up ambulances and cut the massive waste and inefficiency that drive up our grocery bills and put essentials out of reach. Reducing traffic crashes and toxic air pollution will lower healthcare costs.”
The MTA has planned to run eight public webinars with updates to the toll structure from December 4-19.
Larger Vehicles Are Still Adversely Affected
However, one of the primary opponents of congestion pricing, the Trucking Association of New York, said that it remained committed to a lawsuit that argues the tolls that unfairly charge large vehicles larger tolls.
“While political leadership is now saying the right things about bringing down the cost of living in the state, New Yorkers should not be fooled by the rhetoric: this new congestion pricing plan is still bad for the economy, will still cause supply chain disruptions, and will still raise the price of goods upon which households across the five boroughs and its surrounding suburbs rely,” the association’s president, Kendra Hems, said.
Large, multi-truck units and sightseeing buses will be charged a toll of up to $21.60, down from the original $36. Smaller-unit trucks, such as pickup trucks and vans with modified beds, will pay $14.40 during peak hours, down from $24.
What Will Toll Earnings Be Used for?
Toll earnings will generate money for the public transit system and fund the MTA’s list of repairs and infrastructure improvements to keep it operable. These include more modern train signals, new electric buses, elevators, planned expansions to the Second Avenue subway, and more.
