Transit officials announced the start of the program, which they have said will ease some of the nation’s worst traffic.
The first comprehensive congestion-pricing program in a major U.S. city will begin in New York on June 30, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Friday.
The plan remains contentious, however, and with months to go before its scheduled rollout, legal and political clashes could still dilute or stop it altogether. A growing number of opponents — including Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, influential unions and some elected New York officials — recently ratcheted up their effort to block it.
The program is meant to ease some of the worst traffic in the nation, improve the city’s air quality, increase mass transit ridership and raise money to modernize the city’s subway, bus and commuter rail system. Congestion-pricing tolls are expected to generate $1 billion a year, with the revenue earmarked by law for capital projects, not operating costs.
The authority, which operates the mass transit system, also said on Friday that it had opened a portal for applicants seeking the program’s coveted discounts and exemptions. A website will guide drivers on who qualifies and how to apply.
Under the program, most passenger cars will be charged $15 a day to enter a so-called congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan. Trucks would pay $24 or $36, depending on their size. Taxi fares would increase by $1.25, and Uber and Lyft fares would rise by $2.50.
The program is widely unpopular by many measures. A survey of about 800 New Yorkers conducted this month by Siena College found that 63 percent opposed it. Still, out of more than 25,000 public comments about congestion pricing submitted to the transportation authority from late December to mid-March, roughly 60 percent expressed support, the authority said.
