New York City is moving forward with its plan to install the country’s first-ever congestion pricing law that would tax vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street in an effort to raise money and reduce traffic in the heart of a city that’s home to more than 8 million people. 

Construction Drive is reporting that the city government will renew public hearings next week for the scheme, which has been debated on and off since the heyday of the Bloomberg administration. 

The controversial push was first approved by the state legislature in Albany in 2019 with the goal of generating over $1 billion a year in revenue, which in turn would help pay for a $51 billion MTA capital project that has since been suspended. 

The measure is only beginning to move forward now after being blocked by the Trump administration for a period of years as part of an apparent spat between the executive branch and then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

New York is hoping to follow cities like Stockholm’s lead in enacting the policy, which, it says, will also help boost subway ridership numbers that have remained low following the pandemic and recent crime increases. 

The measure is not without its notable opponents, who claim the congestion pricing would only be a factor for middle- and lower-income drivers, who could be charged up to $3,000 a year in tolls depending on where their commute begins and ends.

Still, if enacted, the toll could create an easier path for other cities like San Francisco (which is currently working on its own plan) to embark upon, something Kate Slevin, executive vice president of the tri-state Regional Plan Association, says is important to the development of urban life in the 21st century. 

“We want the MTA and the city to get it right,” she told Construction Drive. “We need these kinds of solutions across the country to be able to address the challenges ahead. A lot of eyes have been on New York about this and will continue to be.”