Congestion pricing underway in New York City
After a temporary pause ordered by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last June, congestion pricing in the Big Apple is officially underway.
On Jan. 5, toll cameras in the Central Business District of New York City went live, charging nearly all motorists who enter the area south of 60th Street. Truckers driving a multi-unit truck with an E-ZPass are charged $21.60 during the peak period, which is 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
Rates decrease by 75% overnight to $5.40. Truck drivers are charged each time they enter the congestion pricing zone, with no daily cap.
Discounts called “crossing credits” are available only to truckers with an E-ZPass entering the congestion pricing zone through one of the four tolled entries during peak hours. When coming in via the Lincoln Tunnel or Holland Tunnel, truck drivers receive a $12 credit. A $6 credit is applied when truckers enter or exit the area through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel or Hugh L. Carey Tunnel.
For truck drivers who do not have an E-ZPass, congestion pricing toll rates increase by 50% to $32.40. Although truckers without an E-ZPass also pay 75% less overnight, they do not receive any crossing credits.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has the ability to tack on an additional 25% surcharge during Gridlock Alert days. However, Gov. Hochul has told the MTA that she will not allow the discretionary surcharge, according to WABC-TV.
Those prices are 40% lower than originally proposed. However, they will increase over a six-year period to the toll schedule the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority signed off on.
Current toll rates are good through 2027. From 2028 through 2030, that 40% discount will drop to a 20% discount, resulting in a base congestion pricing toll rate of $28.80 for truckers with an E-ZPass, with all discounts increasing proportionally. Starting in 2031, toll rates will reflect prices agreed upon last year, including a base rate of $36 for large trucks.
There are still nine active lawsuits challenging New York’s congestion pricing in federal courtrooms. LL