Truckers could pay a $36 congestion fee to enter part of Manhattan

A new report suggests that truckers could pay a $36 congestion fee to enter part of Manhattan during certain times of day.

During a news conference on Thursday, New York City’s Traffic Mobility Review Board officials provided details on a planned traffic congestion fee for passenger and commercial vehicle drivers entering the Central Business District below 60th Street.

Officials say that the fee for large trucks would be $36. The fee for small trucks would be $24. Passenger vehicle drivers would pay $15.

There would be a 75% reduction in the fee from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The congestion fee program is expected to generate $1 billion in revenue each year for transportation system improvements.

Officials also hope that the congestion fee will curb traffic and improve air quality.

A public comment period is slated to begin early next year, and the congestion fee could be in place by spring 2024 pending a vote by transportation authorities.

New Jersey officials have filed suit over the plan, arguing that it will increase traffic and pollution in New Jersey as drivers try to avoid the fee.

“Tonight’s leaked report demonstrates the rushed and opaque process that the MTA and the Traffic Mobility Review Board have pursued to impose an unfair and ill-conceived congestion pricing tolling scheme on New Jersey commuters. Despite our interconnected and interdependent regional economy and transportation system, New York officials did not meaningfully consult with us from the outset and instead treated New Jerseyans as a convenient way to fill an MTA budget hole,” said Governor Phil Murphy in a public statement on Wednesday night.