Day: January 13, 2025

The MTA released traffic data on Monday for the first time since the launch of congestion pricing on Jan. 5, and the numbers look good for those who support the tolling program.

During a Jan. 13 briefing at its headquarters, MTA officials said New York drivers had a bevy of smooth rides over the first nine days of the highly debated traffic reduction plan that charges motorists a base toll of $9 to enter Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The most dramatic reductions in traffic were reported on all bridges and tunnels leading into Manhattan south of 60th Street, known as the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ), during the morning rush hours. The MTA reported double-digit declines in travel time on each crossing — with the most improvement found at the eastbound Holland Tunnel, where travel time was down 65% from the January 2024 average of 12:48 (minutes:seconds).

On Jan. 8 of this year, the MTA reported that traffic in the same direction on the Holland Tunnel during the morning rush was just 4:27. 

The Queens Midtown Tunnel’s westbound lanes also saw morning commute times drop by more than a minute, the MTA reported. The least improvement was found on the westbound Manhattan Bridge, where drivers only saved about 21 seconds of travel time.

Meanwhile, traffic on six different crosstown arteries in the CRZ was down significantly during the first week of congestion pricing, especially during the afternoon rush hour period between 4 and 7 p.m., according to the MTA.

As for crosstown streets in the CRZ, Canal Street through SoHo, Chinatown and Lower Manhattan saw the biggest drop-off in traffic, with travel times down 35% from 2024 heading eastbound, and 34% for westbound traffic. Back in January 2024, average travel time for the 0.9-mile stretch of Canal Street westbound, leading to the Holland Tunnel, was 11:47; during the first week of congestion pricing, it was four minutes faster, at 7:47

More progress was reported Midtown along 34th Street, one of the slowest crosstown roadways in the city. Westbound traffic along the 1.9-mile roadway improved by 36%, from an average peak travel time of 36 minutes last year to 23:13. Eastbound traffic was down 21%, from 43:41 to 34:25.

Only two portions of crosstown traffic in the CRZ saw increases in travel time during the first week of congestion pricing: 23rd Street westbound (up 15%, from 15:30 to 17:49) and 42nd Street westbound (from 27:52 to 32:28).

The MTA worked with TRANSCOM, a collaboration of various groups and agencies including the city’s Department of Transportation, to gather and analyze the data regarding congestion pricing traffic.

This is a developing story; check with amNY.com later for updates.