NYC's controversial congestion pricing plan is back with a $9 toll starting January 5, 2025

UPDATE: November 14, 2025

Governor Kathy Hochul officially gave the Metropolitan Transportation Authority the green light to start collecting congestion pricing fees beginning January 5, 2025.

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Governor Kathy Hochul's office just went on the record with Spectrum News NY1 to confirm her intention to resume plans to institute her much talked-about congestion pricing plan with a $9 base toll.

Back in June, Hochul put the plan on pause "indefinitely" just a few weeks before it was scheduled to go into effect, shocking New Yorkers and local lawmakers who had been bracing for the changes for years.

"Governor Hochul paused congestion pricing because a daily $15 toll was too much for hard-working New Yorkers in this economic climate," reads the official statement. "Tomorrow, the Governor will announce the path forward to fund mass transit, unclog our streets and improve public health by reducing air pollution."

According to the New York Times, the reduced rate will still apply to most vehicles entering midtown and downtown Manhattan.

"The new plan would be fast-tracked for implementation," reads the report. "It would go before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board for approval next week, and would most likely take effect before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office in January—a time frame that aims to pre-empt Mr. Trump’s vows to kill the program."

Ideally, the program will relieve the heavy traffic plaguing the majority of Manhattan on a daily basis while also raising funds for the city's transportation infrastructure.

The proposal previously underwent a long environmental review process that affected officials' ability to put it into action. That will likely not be the case this time around: the Biden administration, vocally supportive of the plan throughout the years, only has a few weeks to sign it into law.

According to Gothamist, Hochul is also expected "to announce a new slate of revenue streams to fill a gap of at least $33 billion in the MTA's five-year construction plan that begins next year."