Congestion pricing could cost NYC drivers $15 to enter Manhattan's busiest streets

Publish date: 2024-06-11

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Big Apple drivers could be on the hook for a $15 toll to travel on busy Manhattan streets under a congestion pricing proposal expected to be filed with MTA officials and publicly released Thursday.

The Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) is expected to recommend the $15 fee for passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs driving south of 60th Street between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the workweek, according to a document reviewed by The Post.

On weekends, that amount would be assessed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Those drivers would only get hit with the toll once per day, and during peak traffic hours, motorists traveling from the Hudson and East River tunnels would get a $5 discount, under the plan from the TMRB, which is in charge of the congestion pricing. 

The figure comes as congestion pricing is expected to begin next May — the first such program in the nation — with much of the infrastructure already in place.

Heavy vehicle traffic sits on the FDR Drive at E81st Street in Manhattan. Drivers going on the FDR Drive and West Side Highway would not be charged a toll. Christopher Sadowski
The Traffic Mobility Review Board (TMRB) is expected to recommend the $15 fee for passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs driving south of 60th Street between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the workweek REUTERS

MTA and other mass transit officials have argued the additional tolling to travel on some of the city’s most backed-up streets would reduce traffic and infuse billions of dollars into the cash-strapped agency. But some have complained it’s another fee drivers will need to pay and could divert traffic and pollution into outer boroughs.

Motorcyclists would be charged $7.50 during the day while trucks would be slapped with a higher cost — somewhere between $24 and $36 depending on their size.

After 9 p.m. every night, toll rates would drop by 75%.

Low-income vehicle owners would receive a 50% discount on the daytime toll after the 10 trips into the congestion pricing area made by that vehicle per month.

Low-income vehicle owners would receive a 50% discount on the daytime toll after the 10 trips into the congestion pricing area made by that vehicle per month. Artem – stock.adobe.com
The figure comes as congestion pricing is expected to begin next May — the first such program in the nation — with much of the infrastructure already in place. Stephen Yang

While taxis and for-hire vehicles will be exempt from the charge, riders will need to fork up some additional cash. Taxi passengers will be charged $1.25 and those being ushered in an Uber or Lyft will be charged $2.50.

Drivers going on the FDR Drive and West Side Highway would not be charged a toll.

Buses and other commuter vehicles would also be exempt, as well as government vehicles.

Morning commuter traffic lines up on the Long Island Expressway towards the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel into Manhattan on Aug. 15, 2022. Stephen Yang

As revelations of the potential toll came out Wednesday night, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said in a statement she was “carefully reviewing” the proposal.

“Gov. Hochul has been clear from the start: congestion pricing is critical to New York’s future, delivering better transit, cleaner air and less traffic clogging our streets,” a spokesman said. “The governor has said repeatedly that $23 is too expensive for the central business district tolls, and is carefully reviewing the recommendations of the Traffic Mobility Review Board.”

While New York’s congestion toll is supposed to get the green light soon, it still faces legal challenges.

Motorists traveling from the Hudson and East River tunnels would get a $5 discount, under the plan from the TMRB, which is in charge of the congestion pricing.  AP

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and other Garden State officials sued the MTA earlier this year, alleging the federal government improperly allowed the transit agency to do an expedited review of the potential environmental and economic costs of the toll.

MTA officials have scoffed at that suggestion, noting the expedited environmental review still took more than two years to wrap up and includes more than 4,000 pages.

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