WASHINGTON — The federal government has agreed to pay $354 million to New York City to help it launch an ambitious plan to reduce traffic by charging tolls for driving into the busiest parts of Manhattan.
New York’s effort, called congestion pricing, would be the first such toll program in the U.S., although similar programs already exist in London and Singapore.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has touted the toll plan to reduce gridlock and pollution, but federal support was jeopardized by weeks of haggling among New York state leaders, who finally struck a compromise agreement on congestion pricing.
