Congestion Pricing Starts This Sunday — Here's What You Need To Know

MIDTOWN, NY — Congestion pricing — the decades-in-the-making plan to charge drivers a fee for entering Manhattan below 60th Street — begins this Sunday at the stroke of midnight, after a year of challenges to the policy.

Congestion pricing was initially set to activate on June 30 and would have charged drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street $15, but then New York Governor Kathy Hochul put the program on an indefinite pause. Then, she reactivated the program in mid-November with pricing capped at $9.

Most recently, a lawsuit from New Jersey challenged congestion pricing in New York City, but on Monday, a judge said the lawsuit didn't merit pausing the plan, Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials said.

"Despite the best efforts of the State of New Jersey trying to thwart New York’s ability to reduce congestion on our streets while making long-overdue investments in public transit, our position has prevailed in court on nearly every issue," Hochul said on Monday.

“Most important, the decision does not interfere with the program’s scheduled implementation this coming Sunday, January 5," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said about the court decision.

However, there seems to be some disagreement about what the judge's ruling means.

The Attorney for the State of New Jersey Randy Mastro released a statement saying that because of New Jersey’s litigation, congestion pricing cannot begin on Jan. 5.

"New Jersey remains firmly opposed to any attempt to force through a congestion pricing proposal in the final weeks of the Biden Administration," Mastro said. "There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll, escalating over time to $15, on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure."

Now, for the hours between 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, drivers will be charged $9 starting Jan. 5, MTA officials said. All other times, drivers will be charged $2.25.

The charges will be recorded via camera tolls, the MTA said.

But, the prices won't stay that low forever. The MTA plans to increase the toll charge to $12 in 2028, and then bump the price up to $15 in 2031.

However, drivers who earn less than $50,000 a year will get a 50 percent discount on every toll after the 10th toll each month, according to the MTA.

All in all, the plan is expected to generate more than $15 billion for public transportation upgrades in New York City, the MTA said.

“Commuters deserve a world-class transit system that’s safe, efficient and modern. Local residents deserve clean air and safe streets. Drivers deserve less congestion and reduced traffic. This is what we will begin to achieve — at a lower cost to drivers — when congestion pricing begins on January 5,” Hochul said.

This is a developing story and may be updated. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.