Congestion pricing takes a toll on South Bronx air quality, report finds

Gothamist— By Stephen Nessen

The Bronx just can’t catch a break.

A new analysis published this week by Columbia University researchers found that air quality has worsened in parts of the South Bronx near highways since the MTA’s congestion pricing program went into effect in early 2025.

The pollution uptick in the Boogie Down was predicted four years ago in the transit agency’s environmental review of the Manhattan tolls, which warned that truck traffic in the borough could increase as drivers circumvent the congestion charge.

But the new study, which is still undergoing peer review, shows for the first time that the tolls may be harming some of the city’s poorest communities.

The Columbia researchers analyzed two years of data from 19 air quality sensors around the Bronx.

Four of those sensors, which were near expressways, “exhibited significant increases” in fine particulate matter, according to the study. Two others, including one in a community garden, saw decreases in pollution. The remaining sensors didn’t clock a significant shift in air quality.