Toxic Air Surge Hits South Bronx Hard

New York City’s congestion pricing scheme — sold as a green transportation fix — may be pushing toxic air pollution directly into one of America’s most asthma-burdened communities, the South Bronx.

Story Highlights

A Columbia University partnership study found overall average fine particulate matter concentrations increased by 0.22 micrograms per cubic meter in the South Bronx following congestion pricing implementation.
13 of 19 air quality monitors across the South Bronx recorded pollution increases after the toll program launched in early 2025.
The sharpest spike — 1.29 micrograms per cubic meter — was recorded near a major highway corridor in Mott Haven, one of the neighborhood’s most vulnerable areas.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority disputes a direct causal link, claiming traffic on key Bronx highways actually decreased by over 10,000 vehicles daily after congestion pricing began.

Pollution Migrates to Already-Struggling Neighborhood

A new study conducted by South Bronx Unite in partnership with Columbia University analyzed 19 air quality monitors across the South Bronx between January 2024 and December 2025. Researchers found that fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, increased by an average of 0.22 micrograms per cubic meter following the launch of New York City’s congestion pricing toll program. Of the 19 monitors tracked, 13 recorded measurable pollution increases — a troubling finding for a community already carrying one of the nation’s highest asthma burdens. [1]

The most alarming data point came from a monitor positioned outside South Bronx Unite’s own office in Mott Haven, a low-income neighborhood sandwiched between major highway corridors. That location recorded a spike of 1.29 micrograms per cubic meter — nearly six times the study’s overall average increase. Advocates and researchers believe drivers avoiding Manhattan’s congestion toll are rerouting through South Bronx streets and highways, concentrating exhaust and particulate pollution in neighborhoods that were never supposed to bear the cost of this policy. [2]

A Classic Case of Elite Policy, Working-Class Consequences

Congestion pricing was championed by progressive politicians and urban planners as a way to reduce traffic in Manhattan’s central business district while generating revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The toll, which launched in early 2025, charges drivers entering lower Manhattan. Supporters promised cleaner air and better transit. What they did not fully account for — or chose to ignore — was where displaced traffic would go. The answer, according to this study, appears to be the South Bronx. [5]

This outcome fits a well-documented global pattern. Studies of congestion pricing programs in cities like London, Stockholm, and Milan found that roughly 73% experienced measurable air quality trade-offs outside the priced zone within the first one to two years. Increases in fine particulate matter averaging 0.1 to 0.5 micrograms per cubic meter were recorded in adjacent lower-income neighborhoods — precisely the scale now documented in the South Bronx. Policymakers routinely tout citywide benefits while the localized costs fall on communities with the least political power. [6]

MTA Pushes Back, but Questions Remain

The MTA disputes the study’s conclusions, arguing that traffic volumes on the Cross Bronx Expressway and Major Deegan Expressway actually decreased after congestion pricing launched, with a reduction of more than 10,000 vehicles daily on those routes. Officials also note that the Columbia University study has not been peer-reviewed or formally published, and they point to $70 million in planned environmental mitigation investments tied to the program. The MTA maintains that citywide air quality has improved under congestion pricing. [3]

Does @GovKathyHochul care?
Where is Councilman Justiin Sanchez? @CMPiSanchez
Where is Cong. Richie Torres? @BXMMA

Congestion pricing takes a toll on South Bronx air quality, report finds – Gothamist https://t.co/wNRfvcQxhb

— NYCwoes (@NycLivingin) May 9, 2026

The MTA’s counter-argument raises legitimate methodological questions, but it does not fully explain why 13 of 19 local monitors recorded increases. Highway volume reductions do not capture rerouting onto local streets, where monitors may be better positioned to detect changes. South Bronx residents and community advocates say they are not waiting for a peer-reviewed verdict — they are breathing the air right now. The city has pledged to study asthma rates in the area, but for families already struggling with respiratory illness, that promise offers little immediate relief. [2] [4]