New Jersey Sen. George Helmy said congestion pricing could drive businesses out of New York City and into the Garden State on "The Point with."

NEW YORK — New York City officials are doing everything possible to reduce traffic congestion in one of the busiest cities in the world — including trying to stick drivers with a daily toll just to go to work.

The MTA board on Monday fast-tracked Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to to finance mass transit with congestion pricing, rubber-stamping her plan to charge drivers a fee to enter Manhattan's Central Business District.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The MTA, state and local transportation officials and the Federal Highway Administration have just signed the final document needed to legally begin congestion pricing on Jan. 5. The document, called the Value Pricing Pilot Program, was the final hurdle before implementation of congestion pricing could begin.

The Federal Highway Administration has accepted the final plan for congestion pricing in New York City, including the phased-in cost structure. The approval was expected as the agencies have been communicating,

The Federal Highway Administration has approved NYC’s congestion pricing plan, set to begin January 5. Drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street will pay a $9 toll, increasing to $12 by 2028 and $15 by 2031.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City’s congestion pricing program has been granted permission by the Federal Highway Administration to proceed as planned, according to a recent report. And the completion of this final bureaucratic hurdle means that most drivers will start paying $9 to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan as soon as Jan. 5.

Catching an Uber or a green cab? Instead of paying a daily toll, for-hire vehicles licensed with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission will be eligible for a smaller per-trip charge paid by the passenger. The charge will apply for each trip “to, from, or within” the congestion relief zone.