The first US car charging system went live in New York City.
Motorists will pay up to $9 (£7) a day, with varying rates for other vehicles.
“This program started working from midnight [05:00 GMT Sunday],” Janno Lieber, CEO of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), told reporters.
Four hundred traffic lanes are now covered by more than 1,400 cameras, with more than 110 detection points and more than 800 signs, he said.
President-elect Donald Trump is among those opposed to the plan, but Mr Lieber said he hoped the deals with the government would “stand up to the administration’s changes”.
The density area includes the area south of Central Park, taking in areas known as the Empire State Building, Times Square and the financial district around Wall Street.
The plan aims to alleviate New York’s notorious traffic problems and raise billions for the public transportation network.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul filed a lawsuit over the congestion charge two years ago, but it was delayed and revised following complaints from other commuters and businesses.
The new plan revives one program he suspended in June, saying it had “many unintended consequences for New Yorkers”.
Most drivers will be charged $9 once a day to enter the congestion zone during peak hours, and $2.25 at other times.
Small trucks and non-passenger buses will pay $14.40 to enter Manhattan during peak hours, while large trucks and tourist buses will pay a $21.60 toll.
Hours after the program began, traffic was snarling along the northern edge of the congestion zone at 60th Street and 2nd Avenue, the Associated Press reported.
Many motorists appeared to be unaware that the newly installed cameras, located near the metal arm above the road, would send new fees to their EZ Passes, it said.
“Drivers will start seeing toll prices appear on their EZ Pass bills in a few days,” Mr. Lieber said later.
The case faced a lot of opposition.
“Are you kidding?” New Jersey real estate agent Chris Smith asked, speaking to the AP. “Whose idea was this? Kathy Hochul? She should be arrested for ignorance.”
The most vocal opposition comes from Trump, a New York native who has vowed to kill the program when he returns to office this month.
Local Republicans are already asking him to intervene.
Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents a district north of New York City, asked Trump in November to commit to “ending this senseless price cap once and for all”.
A judge rejected an 11th-hour effort Friday by New Jersey state officials to block the project on the grounds of its environmental impact on nearby areas.
Last year, New York City was named the world’s most congested urban area for the second year in a row, according to INRIX, a traffic data analysis firm.
Traffic in midtown Manhattan was traveling at 11mph (17km/h) during the morning hours in the first quarter of last year, the report said.
Among those who embraced the new plan was Phil Bauer, a surgeon who lives in midtown Manhattan.
“I think the idea would be good to try to reduce the number of cars and try to encourage people to use public transportation,” he told the AP.
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