MTA Board Set To Vote On Revised NYC Congestion Pricing Plan

NEW YORK CITY — The MTA board is set to vote on the revised congestion plan on Monday, officials said.

The meeting began at 11 a.m. and if approved, a public comment period will follow.

The new congestion toll — of $9— will start on January 5, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul. She has claimed that the toll will be enough to raise $15 billion for the MTA.

Part of the revised congestion pricing plan includes immediate service increases to a number of outer borough bus routes.

"I'm directing the MTA to make major services enhancement to at least 23 bus routes in the outer boroughs," Hochul said at a press conference last week. "... This would mean running buses more frequently along those routes."

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

There will also be discounts after 9 p.m.

Other projects that will be funded by the revised congestion pricing plan include signal system modernization, the Second Avenue subway phase 2 extension, a fleet of new electric buses and accessibility improvements at over 20 stations throughout the city, among other things.

According to a Gothamist report, the MTA plans on increasing the toll charge to $15 in 2031. In 2028, the base toll will bump up to $12 in 2028.

The program was initially scheduled to begin at the end of June 2024 and would toll drivers who enter a zone stretching from 60th Street to the southern tip of Manhattan. It aims to fund public transit and make a dent in New York City's worst-in-the-world traffic, among other things, Patch previously reported.

Following the announcement last Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released a statement saying he firmly opposes "any attempt to force through a congestion pricing proposal in the final months of the Biden Administration."

"My administration will continue the fight to block this plan in court, he said.

"New Jersey has never been meaningfully consulted on the design of this plan, either in its initial iteration or the version that was announced today — this has always been a way to take money from the pockets of New Jersey residents."

The program is also facing a number of active lawsuits.