With congestion pricing set to start on Jan. 5, the MTA now says it has the right to hike the prices even more on gridlock alert days.

The ruling means that barring another legal ruling from across the Hudson River, where the state of New Jersey has sued to block the new fee on environmental grounds, New York’s congestion pricing law is set to begin seconds past midnight on Jan.

When it returns on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, there will be a lower toll than first proposed. Originally, drivers would have been charged $15 for entering the zone. Hochul said her initial opposition to the program was due to the high cost for working New Yorkers.

Some drivers could qualify for a discount that reduces the congestion toll by 50%, while drivers with disabilities or health conditions that prevent them from using mass transit could apply for a "disability exemption.

Gov. Kathy Hochul put the kibosh on the MTA’s plan to boost congestion pricing in Manhattan during times of extreme gridlock. The MTA has floated plans to charge an additional 25% on top of the $9 it plans to tax drivers heading into the Big Apple’s congestion relief zone — an area that extends from 60th St.

The MTA says it has the right to add on a 25% surcharge during gridlock alert days. Those days include when the UN General Assembly is in session, when the president is in the city, or when holiday traffic is at its heaviest.