STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — New York City’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program has received a long-awaited green light from the federal government, meaning Staten Islanders could soon be paying hundreds more each month to drive within their own city.
Earlier this month, the MTA received a letter of legal sufficiency from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) granting the transit agency the ability to move forward with the controversial plan to charge drivers for entering Manhattan’s Central Business District (CBD), defined as any area below 61st Street.
“Congestion pricing is a generational opportunity to make it easier for people to get around in, and get to, the Central Business District, by reducing traffic and funding improvements to the public transit system,” said MTA Chief of External Relations John McCarthy. “To do it right, environmental equity has been an integral component. We are grateful that the FHWA has acknowledged the project sponsors’ efforts to date and has found the document has met the standards for legal sufficiency.”
So how much more will this cost Staten Island drivers once the program is implemented?
Well, it depends on how frequently they’re driving to and from Manhattan’s CBD, and which toll rates are ultimately proposed by the program’s Traffic Mobility Review Board and approved by the MTA Board.
The project’s environmental assessment, which is available online, outlines seven potential tolling scenarios, with higher tolls rates, up to $23 during peak hours, in the scenarios that offer additional credits, caps and exemptions to certain vehicles.
It’s important to note that the seven tolling scenarios outlined in the report remain hypothetical, and the final tolls will be determined by the Traffic Mobility Review Board in the coming months.
“The environmental assessment envisioned seven hypothetical congestion pricing scenarios for traffic modeling purposes, but as of now, there is no specific proposal,”…
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