New Jersey’s challenge to New York’s congestion pricing plan now awaits ruling

New Jersey’s lawsuit to block New York’s plan to hike tolls on Manhattan’s busiest roads is now in the hands of a federal judge, who heard arguments Wednesday and Thursday in the challenge filed last summer.

Officials here say New York’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan would enrich the city at the expense of New Jersey commuters and clog Bergen County and surrounding parts of North Jersey with both the pollution and traffic of motorists looking to dodge the higher tolls.

“The reality is New Jerseyans are going to be paying the price tag, and New Jerseyans are going to be experiencing a lot of the adverse environmental effects of this plan,” attorney Randy Mastro told the court, according to NJ Spotlight News.

New Jersey officials have asked the court to vacate the final approval the U.S. Federal Highway Administration gave the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s congestion pricing plan last June and order a “full and proper” environmental impact review, as federal law requires.

Fort Lee’s mayor and a resident also sued in November, arguing many of the same points. That lawsuit asks a judge to order an environmental assessment, medical monitoring, and damages for increased pollution, health problems, and congestion should the plan be implemented.

The toll hikes are expected to start in mid-June unless U.S. District Judge Leo Gordon intervenes. Gordon said he expects to issue a ruling by then.

Drivers heading into Manhattan’s central business district below 60th Street will face up to $36 extra in tolls — $1.25 to $2.50 per ride for taxis and ride-shares; $7.50 for motorbikes; $15 for cars; and $24 to $36 for trucks, with prices fluctuating pending peak times. Public transit and commuter buses will be exempt.