Motorists entering Manhattan’s busiest neighborhoods will now have to pay up to $9 in congestion charges, as New York City’s first-in-the-nation Congestion Relief Zone officially launched Sunday.

New York City's congestion pricing went into effect in the center of Manhattan on Sunday, one day after a federal judge rejected a request from New Jersey officials to halt the program.

New York’s much-debated plan to charge drivers to enter the center of Manhattan is set to take effect Sunday just after midnight, following years of bureaucratic and legal roadblocks. The goals of what is known as “congestion pricing” are to reduce gridlock and pollution and raise revenue for public transit.