A federal judge issued a partial ruling Monday in the battle between New York and… New Jersey On controversial congestion pricing in New York City, it found that the Empire State has taken most of the steps necessary to enforce a plan to charge drivers entering midtown Manhattan.
The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Leo M. Gordon, also called on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review and provide an explanation of certain aspects of the congestion pricing program.
While Gordon asked the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for more information, he did not explicitly say whether the program should go ahead as planned on January 5, 2025.
Despite this, officials from New York and New Jersey declared victory after Gordon issued his decision.
MTA Board approves Democratic government. Restart of massive congestion pricing in Hochul City
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 delayed implementation of a plan to charge motorists hefty fees to enter the heart of Manhattan, just weeks before the launch of the nation's first “congestion pricing” system. (AP Photo/Pepito Matthews, File)
“The program will move forward this weekend,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.
Also weighing in was Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and CEO Jano Lieber, who said the MTA was “grateful” for Gordon’s decision.
“We are pleased that Judge Gordon agreed in almost every case with the New York federal court and rejected New Jersey’s claim that the environmental assessment approved 18 months ago was deficient,” Lieber said. “Most importantly, the decision does not conflict with the scheduled implementation of the program next Sunday, January 5. Regarding the two remaining cases where the judge asked the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to provide additional data – information that was not yet before the court,” in this Lawsuit – We are confident that subsequent federal actions, including approval of revised and reduced toll rates, have put an end to these issues.”
US – MARCH 1: MTA President and CEO Jano Lieber speaks to the media during a break from a public hearing on congestion pricing Friday, March 1, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News via Getty Images)
Although Hochul and the MTA claimed victory in enforcing congestion pricing, New Jersey State Attorney Randy Mastro interpreted Gordon's decision differently, holding congestion pricing on hold pending further clarification from federal officials.
“We welcome the court's ruling today in the congestion pricing lawsuit. Because of the New Jersey lawsuit, the judge ordered remand, so the MTA cannot move forward with implementing the current congestion pricing proposal on January 5, 2025,” Mastro said. “The judge decided that Federal Highway Administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously in approving the MTA's plan, that the FHWA's decision provided no rational explanation for its mitigation obligations, that New York changed its tolling scheme significantly after receiving federal approval, and that further study is needed Before the current congestion pricing proposal took too long. impact.
“The state of New Jersey remains strongly opposed to any attempt to impose the congestion pricing proposal in the final weeks of the Biden administration,” he added. “There could be no worse time to impose a new $9 fee, escalating over time to $15, on individuals who travel into midtown 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 indefinitely delayed implementation of a plan to charge motorists hefty fees to enter the heart of Manhattan, just weeks before the launch of the nation's first “congestion pricing” system. (AP Photo/Mary Altafer, File)
According to the judge's decision, the FHWA has until January 17, 2025 to submit its comments.
Last month, the MTA approved congestion pricing at Hochul by a vote of 12 to 1.
Congestion pricing will begin in January, and video tolls will be imposed on newly built bridges surrounding the city core. Traffic moving down 60th Street and Central Park, entering from New Jersey, Brooklyn or Queens – Except via the RFK Triboro Bridge and George Washington Bridge – will be subject to tolls.
Hochul previously said she would like to see a price point slightly lower than the original $15 — about $9, citing inflation — and Lieber suggested he was open to seeing whether lower fees could achieve the same revenue goals.
Ultimately, the MTA approved a phased-in congestion pricing plan that would result in Manhattan drivers being hit with higher fees by 2031.
President-elect Trump has signaled his intention 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.
