The federal government has agreed to pay $354 million (¤261 million) to New York City to help it launch an ambitious plan to reduce traffic by charging tolls on drivers entering the busiest parts of Manhattan, AP reported. New York's effort, called congestion pricing, would mark the first time such a toll program has been instituted in the U.S. Similar programs already exist in London and Singapore. The U.S. Department of Transportation was to announce other cities receiving funds later Tuesday. They had been considering which five out of nine cities would receive a major infusion of cash for local traffic reduction plans. Also competing for federal aid was Minneapolis, where divers are still trying to find the remains of four missing motorists from a catastrophic bridge collapse. Nine people are already confirmed dead in the Aug. 1 collapse. The other cities seeking funding were Atlanta, Denver, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, Seattle and Chicago.
