The Federal Highway Administration on Friday determined that an environmental review of congestion pricing had no significant impacts, according to a notice sent to Congressional members that was obtained by Bloomberg News. With that approval, the plan to charge motorists driving into New York City’s midtown Manhattan is essentially cleared for takeoff. The federal approval was reported earlier in the Wall Street Journal.
“Congestion pricing will reduce traffic in our crowded downtown, improve air quality and provide critical resources to the MTA,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “I am proud of the thorough environmental assessment process we conducted, including responding to thousands of comments from community members from across the region. With the green light from the federal government, we look forward to moving ahead with the implementation of this program.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York City’s subways, buses and commuter rails is responsible for congestion pricing implementation.
Drivers will begin paying the new charge as soon as April 2024. E-ZPass motorists driving south of 60th Street may pay as much as $23 to enter the area.
The purpose of congestion pricing is to raise $1 billion of new annual revenue for the MTA, cut traffic and pollution, and increase mass-transit ridership. MTA officials anticipate congestion pricing will cut the amount of daily vehicles entering the district by as much as a fifth.
While largely supported by Albany, the new tolling plan does face pushback from New Jersey politicians in Trenton, including Governor Phil Murphy.
“The Federal Highway Administration’s decision to green-light the MTA’s proposed tolling program marks yet another slight against hardworking New Jerseyans in favor of an agency concerned not with removing vehicles from our roads, but with lining its own coffers,” a Murphy spokesman said in the email.
