Congestion Pricing provides $330M in mitigation

Place-based mitigation measures

The Congestion Pricing Program has committed $100M in funding for place-based mitigation in those communities already experiencing pre-existing high pollutant and chronic disease burdens, and that could potentially experience increases in highway traffic as a result of the Program. Those communities are: Crotona-Tremont, High Bridge-Morrisania, Hunts Point-Mott Haven, Northeast Bronx, Pelham-Throgs Neck, Downtown Brooklyn-Fort Greene, South Williamsburg, East Harlem, Randall’s Island, Newark, City of Orange, East Orange and Fort Lee.

The mitigation measures available include:

Install air filtration units in schools near highways

Install or upgrade air filtration units in classrooms at 25-40 schools, depending on school size and complexity of existing HVAC system, to improve indoor air quality. To be considered, schools must be within 300 meters of highways where truck traffic is projected to increase.

Status: Specific locations to be identified

Install roadside vegetation

Install roadside vegetation, approximately 4,000 trees and 40,000 shrubs, to capture pollutants and improve air quality near roads. Sites will be prioritized near schools, day cares, senior or community centers, or outdoor recreational facilities.

Status: Specific locations to be identified

Renovate parks and greenspace

Renovate 2 to 5 parks/greenspaces, depending on size and complexity. Investments can be made in existing parks where expanded greenspace, new plantings, or other upgrades are feasible.

Status: Specific locations to be identified

Expand the NYC Asthma Case Management Program and establish a Bronx Asthma Center

Expand existing asthma case management programs in up to 25 NYC schools, and create neighborhood asthma center in the Bronx to reduce hospitalizations and doctor visits, decrease symptoms and missed school days. Community input will help inform programming and outreach strategies to maximize the program’s impact.

Status: Specific locations to be identified

Replace Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs) at Hunts Point Produce Market

Replace up to 1,000 diesel-burning Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs) with cleaner vehicles at Hunts Point Produce Market.

Status: Underway

Implement an electric truck charging infrastructure program

Expand electric truck charging infrastructure by building out 35 new chargers at seven stations. Although the charging points can only be located in New York State, trucks may use the charging points regardless of their points of origin or destination.

Status: Underway

Allocation of place-based mitigation funding is based on total population living in the affected census tracts, as follows:

For more detailed allocation by community, please refer to Table 17.14 in the Re-Evaluation.

Other mitigation measures

The Congestion Pricing Program has also committed to an additional $230M for other mitigation measures such as:

Expand NYC Clean Trucks Program

Make funding available to replace approximately 500 eligible diesel trucks with lower-emission electric, hybrid, compressed natural gas, and clean diesel vehicles. Trucks with more than 70 percent of their vehicle miles traveled in the tristate area (New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut) qualify for the NYC Clean Trucks Program.

Status: Underway

Expand NYCDOT Off-Hours Delivery Program

Expand the Off-Hours Delivery Program in locations where truck diversions are expected to increase in order to reduce daytime truck traffic, reduce emissions, and increase roadway safety. The program is available to all trucks regardless of their points of origin or destination.

Status: Underway

Further reduce overnight toll

Reduce to at or below 50% of the peak toll for trucks and other vehicles from at least 12am to 4am to reduce daytime truck diversions. The final adopted toll structure goes above and beyond this commitment, by both expanding the overnight period and discounting the overnight toll by 75%.  All drivers who enter the zone overnight benefit from this measure.

Status: Complete

Provide a discount to qualified low-income frequent drivers

Provide a discount of 25% for low-income frequent drivers on the E-ZPass toll rate for the applicable time of day after the first 10 trips in each calendar month (excluding the overnight period). The adopted toll structure increased the discount from 25% to 50%. Low-income drivers, regardless of their place of residence, qualify for the Low-Income Discount Plan.

Status: Complete