Congestion Pricing Program Delivering
Air-Quality Improvements in the Bronx
NEW YORK—The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Department of Transportation recently reached a major congestion pricing-funded milestone to improve air quality in the Bronx with the replacement of 20 diesel-powered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) at the Hunts Point Produce Market with clean diesel or hybrid models.
These new refrigeration units significantly improve air quality in the Bronx with major reductions in nitrogen oxide (NO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) while ensuring that Hunts Point Market can continue to play an essential role supplying New Yorkers with the food their families rely on.
“Congestion pricing has been a once-in-a-lifetime success story, leading to cleaner air, better transit and faster and safer traffic throughout the city,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “We knew that to do this right, we had to bring real air-quality improvements directly to parts of New York City that have been neglected for far too long. These new refrigeration units will be a game changer for Hunts Point market, with air quality improvements equivalent to removing thousands of truck trips on our roads every day, making the Bronx’s air cleaner and improving quality of life.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Congestion pricing is here and it’s working—less traffic, cleaner air—in the Bronx as well as Midtown Manhattan. These new TRUs are just the first of many clean air investments to come paid for by tolling revenues.”
Replacing a single diesel-powered TRU, some of which are nearly 30 years old, avoids the particulate-matter emissions of 330 truck trips a day on the Cross Bronx Expressway. With 20 now replaced, thanks to funds from the Congestion Relief program, the particulate matter emissions avoided are equivalent to removing 6,600 trucks from the Cross Bronx Expressway. Collectively, this first batch of replacements will cut annual emissions of nitrogen oxide by 66%, particulate matter by 99.7%, hydrocarbons by 96.8%, carbon monoxide by 97.8%, and carbon dioxide by 15%.
The replacement of TRUs is outlined in the mitigation package of the Environmental Assessment for the congestion pricing program. NYC DOT has been accepting new TRUs on a rolling basis since December 2025, when the first unit was delivered. An additional 75 units are in the active pipeline for replacement this year. There is a total of $15 million allocated for this airquality improvement measure.
In 2025, more than 27 million fewer vehicles entered the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ), resulting in meaningful improvements in travel times, air quality and quality of life with less noise pollution and fewer pedestrian accidents. On any given day, over 73,000 fewer vehicles are entering the zone, an 11% reduction on average. Additionally, the possible increases in traffic through Environmental Justice Communities in the Bronx have not materialized.
The TRU Replacement Program is the first major mitigation investment supported by funding from congestion pricing. The MTA and its project sponsors are in the last stages of developing the Final Mitigation Plan required under the environmental review process, which will detail the specific locations for each mitigation measure and the proposed allocation funds. The Final Mitigation Plan will be released in the spring.
Approximately 70% of the funds allocated for mitigation measures in the category of place-based mitigation will be invested in the Bronx. In addition to TRUs, the remaining mitigation initiatives in progress, both place-based and regional, include:
• A Bronx Asthma Initiative ($20 million)
• Implementation of electric truck charging infrastructure ($20 million)
• Renovation of parks and greenspaces in EJ Communities ($25 million)
• Installation of roadside vegetation to improve near-road air quality ($10 million)
• Installation of air filtration units in NYC and Newark schools near highways ($10 million)
• Expansion of NYC Clean Trucks Program ($20 million)
• Expansion of NYC DOT Off-Hours Delivery Program ($5 million).
Published: April 7, 2026