NEW YORK (AP)  -- Now that the City Council has backed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers extra tolls in congested parts of Manhattan, the next hurdle it faces is in Albany.

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Legislators there were focused on finishing the state budget and were expected to take it up later this week. The city stands to lose $354 million in federal money for kick-starting the initiative if the state Legislature does not approve it by April 7.

The concept, known as congestion pricing, is intended to cut traffic and pollution by forcing more commuters onto mass transit; the money collected through the tolls would go toward mass-transit improvements. The Bloomberg administration has said it would like to have it up and running in a year.

"It's now completely clear that congestion pricing has the strong backing of the people of New York City,'' Bloomberg said Monday night, after the council passed a resolution supporting his plan.

Opponents, including many lawmakers from outside Manhattan, say commuters who drive in from the outer boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island often have no public transportation options and have to use their cars.

The Bloomberg administration has promised to complete several new transit projects, including more bus lines in some underserved areas, before implementing congestion pricing.

Critics also argue that middle-class New Yorkers can't afford to pay to drive to work each day and that the $8 daily fee per car amounts to charging people for access to the city. The zone proposes applying tolls to drivers south of 60th Street in Manhattan from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

"What's next -- we're going to charge a user fee to come into Central Park because it's crowded?'' said Councilman Lewis Fidler, who voted against the plan.

The council vote of 30-20 in support of congestion pricing was one of the closest margins on a vote in recent history.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn noted that 20 of the 30 yes votes were from council members from outside Manhattan. She said that figure showed support for the concept throughout the city.

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