A federal judge on Monday issued a partial ruling in the battle between New York and… New Jersey following the controversial New York City congestion charge, finding that the Empire State has taken most of the necessary steps to impose a plan to charge tolls on motorists entering downtown Manhattan.
The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Leo M. Gordon, also called on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review and explain certain aspects of the congestion pricing program.
Although Gordon asked the FHWA for more information, he did not explicitly indicate whether the program should proceed as planned on January 5, 2025.
Despite this, officials from New York and New Jersey claimed victory after Gordon made his decision.
MTA COUNCIL APPROVES DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. HOCHUL’S HUGE NYC CONGESTION PRICES TOLL REBOOT
FILE – Traffic enters Lower Manhattan after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in New York. New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, indefinitely postponed the implementation of a plan to charge motorists high tolls to enter the core of Manhattan, just weeks before the first congestion pricing the country’s system would be launched. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
“The program will continue this weekend,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), also said the MTA is “pleased” with Gordon’s decision.
“We are pleased that Judge Gordon agreed with the New York federal court on virtually every issue and rejected New Jersey’s claim that the environmental review approved 18 months ago was inadequate,” Lieber said. “The most important thing is that the decision does not hinder the planned implementation of the program this Sunday, January 5. On the two remaining issues where the judge requested the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide additional information – information not yet before the Court in this proceeding – we are confident that subsequent federal actions, including the adoption of the revised , reduced toll rates, have resolved these issues.
New York’s DEM governor indefinitely halts congestion pricing plan, putting party over climate
UNITED STATES – MARCH 1: MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber speaks to the media during a break from a public hearing on congestion pricing on Friday, March 1, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Despite Hochul and the MTA claiming a victory in imposing the congestion charge, New Jersey State Attorney Randy Mastro interpreted Gordon’s decision differently, as meaning that the congestion charge is suspended pending further clarification from federal officials.
“We welcome the court’s ruling today in the congestion pricing lawsuit. Due to the New Jersey lawsuit, the judge ordered a preliminary injunction and therefore the MTA cannot proceed with implementation of the current congestion pricing proposal on January 5, 2025,” Mastro said. “The judge determined that the Federal Highway Administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously in approving the MTA’s plan, that the FHWA’s decision did not provide a rational explanation of its mitigation obligations, that New York significantly changed its toll regulations after receiving federal approval, and that more attention is needed before the current congestion charging proposal can be adopted. effect.
“New Jersey remains firmly opposed to any attempt to pass a congestion pricing proposal in the final weeks of the Biden administration,” he added. “There couldn’t be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll, which could increase to $15 over time, on individuals traveling to downtown Manhattan for work, school or leisure.”
FILE – Pedestrians cross Delancey Street as busy traffic from Brooklyn enters Manhattan via the Williamsburg Bridge, March 28, 2019, in New York. New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, indefinitely postponed the implementation of a plan to charge motorists high tolls to enter the core of Manhattan, just weeks before the country’s first congestion pricing system the country would be launched. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
According to the judge’s ruling, the FHWA has until January 17, 2025 to provide feedback.
Last month, the MTA approved Hochul’s congestion pricing by a 12-1 vote.
The congestion charge would start in January and impose a video-enforced toll on newly built gantries around the city’s core. Traffic moving under 60th Street and Central Park entering from New Jersey Brooklyn or Queens – except via the RFK Triboro Bridge and George Washington Bridge – tolls would have to be collected.
Hochul previously said she would like to see a slightly lower price than the original $15 — about $9, citing inflation — and Lieber suggested he was open to seeing if a lower toll could achieve the same revenue goals.
Ultimately, the MTA agreed to a phased congestion pricing plan that will result in Manhattan motorists paying more expensive tolls by 2031.
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President-elect Trump has indicated he plans to eliminate congestion pricing once he returns to the Oval Office on January 20, 2025, a move that could be more complicated if the program is already in place.
