New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday, April 1, that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) reached a major congestion pricing-funded milestone to improve air quality in the Bronx.
The milestone was reached thanks in large part to 20 diesel-powered transport refrigeration units (TRUs) at the Hunts Point Produce Market being replaced with clean diesel or hybrid models.
“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,” Governor 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.”
The new refrigeration units have led to major reductions in nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter in the borough. They also ensure that the Hunts Point Market can continue to play an essential role in supplying food to New Yorkers.
“Congestion pricing is here and it’s working — less traffic, cleaner air — in the Bronx as well as Midtown Manhattan,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “These new TRUs are just the first of many clean air investments to come paid for by tolling revenues.”
Replacing just one diesel-powered transport refrigeration unit avoids the particulate matter emission equivalent to 330 truck trips a day on the Cross Bronx Expressway. With funds from the congestion relief program having replaced 20 of the diesel-powered transport refrigeration units, the total particulate matter emissions avoided is equivalent to removing 6,600 trucks from the Cross Bronx Expressway.
“Governor Hochul is laser-focused on improving the lives of Bronx residents, and today’s announcement builds upon the transformative investment the Governor and the Department of Transportation made with the $1.7 billion Hunts Point Access Improvement Project, which took 13,000 trucks off the local street network every day by providing a direct access route to the Market,” New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said.
“This project was a game changer for the South Bronx, increasing housing and economic investments, improving access to the Bronx River while establishing new east-west connections to Starlight and Concrete Parks for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
The first batch of replacements will combine to 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%.
“Congestion pricing is an example of when we think big, we can deliver real results for New Yorkers: traffic is down, commutes are faster and we at NYC DOT are working every day to make it easier to commute around the city without a car,” New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn said.
“In the Bronx, where residents have suffered from high pollution and asthma rates, congestion pricing is helping right historic wrongs. We’ve already replaced 20 high-polluting TRUs in Hunts Point — the equivalent of removing the fine particulate matter emissions from 6,600 truck trips on the Cross Bronx Expressway every day — and we look forward to more replacements to come.”
Since December 2025, NYC DOT has been accepting new transport refrigeration units on a rolling basis. Another 75 units are in the pipeline to be replaced this year, with $15 million allocated for this air quality improvement measure.
“Hunts Point feeds New York City, and for too long, the people who live next to it have paid the price in their lungs. The Bronx has some of the worst asthma rates in the country, and dirty diesel trucks are a big reason why. These 20 new TRUs are the equivalent of taking 6,600 trucks off the Cross Bronx Expressway,” Rep. Ritchie Torres said.
“That’s real relief for real people in the Bronx, and this is exactly the kind of investment we deserve.”
There were 27 million fewer vehicles that entered the Congestion Relief Zone in 2025, resulting in faster travel times, improved air quality, less noise pollution and a decrease in pedestrian accidents. The reduction of 73,000 vehicles entering the zone on a given day represented an 11% drop on average. Possible increases in traffic through Environmental Justice Communities in the Bronx have not materialized thus far.
The TRU Replacement Program marks the first major mitigation investment supported by funding raised from congestion pricing. The MTA and its project sponsors are currently in the last stages of putting together the Final Mitigation Plan, which will be released this spring. Required under the environmental review process, this plan will detail the specific locations for each mitigation measure and the proposed allocation funds.
The transport refrigeration units in Hunts Point are among the 70% of the funds allocated for mitigation measures being invested in the Bronx. One of the other measures in the borough is a $20 million Bronx asthma initiative.
Other place-based and regional mitigations include another $20 million towards the implementation of electric truck charging infrastructure, $25 million towards the renovation of parks and green spaces in environmental justice communities, $10 million for the installation of roadside vegetation to improve near-road air quality, $10 million for the installation of air filtration systems in schools near highways in New York City and Newark, the $20 million expansion of the New York City Clean Trucks Program and the $5 million expansion of the NYC DOT Off-Hours Delivery Program.
“The Bronx has endured this burden of environmental injustice for too long. Today’s announcement is an important step toward changing that reality and delivering real results for Bronx families,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson said.
“Replacing these diesel units at the Hunts Point Produce Market means cleaner air and a future where our communities are no longer forced to pay the price for the city’s infrastructure. Thank you to Governor Kathy Hochul and my colleagues in government for investing in the future of our borough and prioritizing the health of Bronx residents.”
