New NYC congestion pricing plan to reduce toll: sources
NEW YORK (PIX11) – A new congestion pricing plan for New York City will be announced on Thursday with a reduced toll for drivers, sources said.
The new plan will reduce the originally proposed congestion pricing toll for cars traveling south of 60th Street in Manhattan from $15 to $9, sources told PIX11 News.
Gov. Kathy Hochul put a halt to the original congestion pricing plan in June.
"Governor Hochul paused congestion pricing because a daily $15 toll was too much for hard-working New Yorkers in this economic climate," said Avi Small, Hochul's press secretary. "Tomorrow, the Governor will announce the path forward to fund mass transit, unclog our streets and improve public health by reducing air pollution."
Advocates for congestion pricing recently called on Hochul to act quickly on a new plan before President-elect Donald Trump can take action on his promise to end congestion pricing.
Toll revenue generated from the original congestion pricing plan was expected to fund $15 billion in capital improvements for the MTA. That included $12 billion in funding for the subway and bus system and $1.5 billion each for the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad, according to the MTA.
Betsy Plum, executive director of the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance, also encouraged Hochul to take action on congestion pricing.
"Subway and bus riders campaigned for the better part of a decade, held two governors accountable, and won a transformative plan to fix the subway," Plum said. "Congestion pricing cannot happen soon enough. Once the first tolls are collected, we will finally breathe easier."
Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.