MTA looks at revenue numbers from first three weeks of its Congestion Relief Zone program

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has released its revenue numbers from the first three weeks of the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) program. From Jan. 5 to Jan. 31, tolls from the CRZ generated $48.66 million in revenue with a net $37.5 million. The MTA says the CRZ program has set the agency on track to generate the $500 million it had initially projected.  

“We are on track for the projected $500 million in net revenue, especially as we get into warmer months when traffic will increase, which provides confidence in the forecast,” said MTA Co-Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel. “All indicators show the program is reducing traffic but also projecting the revenue to be on target for what we had in 4,000 pages of studies and what we were looking at in the fall.” 

According to the MTA, $48.66 million was generated from the tolling program, 22 percent of which comes from taxis and for hire vehicles ($10.6 million), 68 percent comes from passenger vehicles, nine percent from trucks and one percent from buses and motorcycles. Eighty-five percent of non-taxi and for-hire vehicles revenue was generated from passenger vehicles and 15 percent from trucks, buses and motorcycles. Ninety-five percent of revenue was generated during peak tolling hours. Expenses from the program, including operating camera infrastructure and customer service, amounted to $9.1 million and another $2 million for mitigation efforts, totaling $11.1 million. This resulted in a net surplus of $37.5 million. 

“With an initial performance in line with projections, we can confidently move forward with projects that rely on funds from the Congestion Relief Zone,” said MTA Chief Financial Officer Kevin Willens. “We look forward to seeing similar results in the coming months.” 

The MTA says the revenue generated from CRZ has funded projects from its 2020 - 2024 Capital Program, including making more stations accessible including Hollis and Forrest Hills Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations, installing modern signaling on Fulton St line in Brooklyn and Liberty Av in Queens on the A and C, new rolling stock including 44 new dual-mode LIRR locomotives, zero-emission buses and extending the Second Ave Subway into East Harlem.  

The MTA notes that, as a commitment to transparency, it will continue to track and report revenues from this program monthly.