New York City’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program for drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street went into effect on January 5th. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it will still be able to fund billions of dollars worth of projects despite toll prices. adjustments and a delay from when it was scheduled to be implemented last summer.
The final version of congestion pricing cuts the toll for most passenger cars during peak hours from the $15 to $9 planned for now, but MTA officials say it won’t be a problem for funding projects because the financing of the project will reach 15,000 million dollars. in bonds that will be paid with the collected tolls.
“The implementation of congestion pricing is historic: it helps reduce congestion in our central business district, enabling safer streets, while providing much-needed resources to New York City’s transportation and transit systems while improving air quality for millions of New Yorkers and visitors,” said Marie. Therese Domínguez, commissioner of the New York Department of Transportation, in a statement.
After Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) ordered an indefinite pause on congestion pricing last June, MTA officials halted some plans, including halting work on Phase 2 of the Second Avenue subway, of 7.7 billion dollars. The project, which is the most expensive partially funded project. Through the toll program, it is planned to extend the line 1.8 miles and add three stations.
However, after the MTA board approved the revised schedule in November, the agency says it is resuming work on the subway project. In December, it issued a request for proposals to two shortlisted teams, Connect Plus Partners and Skanska Walsh Traylor SAS-2 JV, to build tunnels.
MTA also began moving forward on other projects based on the congestion pricing program after the board’s approval. It issued a request for qualifications on Dec. 30 for a design-build contractor for signal modernization work on portions of the A and C subway lines in Brooklyn, and issued a second RFQ the same day for another design-build contractor made accessibility improvements at three stations in Brooklyn and Queens. In early December, MTA also issued a pair of RFPs to shortlisted teams for rebuilding the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge ramps and dehumidifying the suspension bridge’s main cables.
“We’re ready to get started on these projects, and we’re ready to deliver them better, faster and cheaper than ever before,” Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development, said in a statement.
In general, 80% of the proceeds of the program will go towards metro and bus projects. Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road will receive 10%. Other work planned with the funds includes ADA improvements at 23 subway stations, signal improvements on the BDFM subway line, and various repair projects.
The program has faced several legal challenges. However, MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber said during a press conference on the day of the congestion pricing launch that he feels confident in his legal position after multiple rulings in favor of the program .
“I’m not worried,” he said.
Costs of the Contractor
For contractors or others working in New York, tolls depend on the time of day and type of vehicle. Rush hours, and the highest tolls, are from 5am to 9pm on weekdays and from 9am to 9pm on weekends. According to Lieber, officials hope to encourage more truck deliveries to be made at night. Small single-unit trucks will be charged $14.40 during peak hours, or $3.60 overnight. Larger trucks will be charged $21.60 during peak hours, or $5.40 overnight.
“There’s a big discount at night, and it’s specifically designed to incentivize trucks, which take up so much space and create so much traffic, to make more deliveries at night,” Lieber said.
Rush hour drivers can get a credit to reduce their tolls by using an E-ZPass and entering Manhattan via the Lincoln, Holland, Queens-Midtown or Hugh L. Carey tunnels. Employees of contractors who cannot use public transportation can also apply for discounts or exemptions. Information about these programs is available on the MTA website.
For drivers who need to cross Manhattan, but not stop in the congestion relief zone, there are also toll exclusions when sticking only to the West Side Highway, FDR Drive and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connections with West Street.
Although the initial toll amounts are lower than previously planned, they are scheduled to increase in phases until 2031.
