US advances New York City congestion pricing plan

The U.S. Transportation Department on Monday said it has cleared another hurdle for New York City's planned congestion mitigation pricing. The Federal Highway Administration released a Finding of No Significant Impact for the plan proposal, saying a more comprehensive environmental analysis was unnecessary.

The decision allows the plan sponsors to advance their application to the U.S. agency's Value Pricing Pilot Program that "provides transportation agencies with options to manage congestion through tolling and other pricing mechanisms." New York has said that once in place drivers could face a traffic congestion charge of up to $23 a day.