Hochul announces NYC congestion pricing to begin January

Congestion pricing is full speed ahead — again.

Gov. Kathy Hochul officially announced Thursday that she will lift her “pause” on the controversial toll program for New York City — paving the way it to take effect by the New Year.

Cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street will face $9 day-time base tolls starting in January — a fee lower than the $15 originally planned, she said during a news conference.

“I’m proud to announce we have found a path to fund the MTA, reduce congestion and keep millions of dollars in the pockets of our commuters.”

Hochul said the proposed revamp will include further discounts for low-income New Yorkers.

She said car owners making less than $50,000 a year will get a 50% discount on every toll after their 10th in a month month, and the toll will be reduced further after 9 p.m., though it wasn’t immediately clear by how much.

The $9 toll will be enough to secure the originally planned $15 billion in MTA funding for projects such as modern signals, the Second Avenue subway and new elevators for stations, Hochul said.

The governor said she also directed the MTA to make “major service enhancements” to at least 23 bus routes in the outer boroughs.

The pause on the first-in-the-nation program was imposed by Hochul in June, just days before motorists were slated to start shelling out $15 tolls.

Hochul, however, contended that the tolls would be too high for New Yorkers and commuters as she unilaterally put congestion pricing on indefinite hold.

She also reportedly bowed to political pressure from her fellow Democrats to delay the program until after the 2024 election out of fear the tolls would scuttle their chances of winning battleground New York congressional seats.

Hochul’s revival of congestion pricing comes with a lower toll that officials said wouldn’t require MTA officials to conduct another lengthy environmental review.

A Federal Highway Administration spokesperson confirmed that New York officials got the ball rolling on the federal bureaucratic process to reset the toll.

“New York project sponsors notified FHWA of their updated plan to advance the project with a starting toll of $9, and FHWA is working expeditiously to finalize the needed steps to complete the agreement,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Hochul’s counterpart in New York, Gov. Phil Murphy, raged against the move to force through congestion pricing in President Biden administration’s waning days.

In a blistering statement, Murphy contended New Jersey officials weren’t consulted on the plan, either before or after the pause.

“All of us need to listen to the message that voters across America sent last Tuesday, which is that the vast majority of Americans are experiencing severe economic strains and still feeling the effects of inflation,” he said. “There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure.”

The decision to pause congestion pricing had outraged advocates, who argued it would cut down on gridlock in Manhattan, reduce air pollution and help pay for $15 billion worth of vital MTA projects.

Opponents, for their part, rejoiced the blow against tolls they argued imposed a de facto tax on motorists and would take money from working-class commuters’ pockets, both in the city and beyond.