(The Center Square) — The nation’s first congestion pricing system got underway in New York over the weekend after a last-ditch legal challenge failed to block the controversial new tolling program.
New York’s new toll for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street began just after midnight on Sunday after a U.S. District Court judge late Friday denied New Jersey’s push to keep the plan from going into effect.
Under the program, passenger cars will pay a $9 toll between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends. New York officials say the toll will reduce tailpipe pollution and provide more funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the public transit system.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy criticized the judge’s ruling and blasted New York leaders for “forcing through” a congestion pricing proposal in the final days of the Biden Administration.
“There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll, escalating over time to $15, on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure,” Murphy said in a statement.
New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2023, alleging that federal officials signed off on New York’s congestion pricing plan without properly evaluating how it would affect New Jersey and commuters who travel to New York City for work.
In June, Hochul abruptly hit the brakes on congestion pricing, announcing that she directed the MTA to “indefinitely” pause the program. The Democrat cited the impact on commuters who would be forced to pay higher tolls, but it also came ahead of an election when Democratic House candidates were fighting for reelection in battleground states.
Hochul resurrected the plan a few weeks after the Nov. 5 elections with a reduced base fare of $9 – down from the original plan of $15. The new tolls will still reach $15 by 2031, according to the Hochul administration.
The tolling program goes into effect days before President-elect Donald Trump takes over the White House. Trump, a Republican and native New Yorker, has pledged to “terminate” the program when he takes over the presidency.
Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, former New York congressman Lee Zelden, railed against congestion pricing during his 2022 gubernatorial run.
And Republican House lawmakers are pressing for a law in Congress to block the tolls with a proposal that picked up Democratic support from moderates like Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a candidate for New Jersey governor.
“The fight is not over! We will continue to use every option at our disposal to stop @GovKathyHochul’s unjust invasion of New Yorkers’ wallets,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., posted on social media over the weekend. “In the meantime, she should focus on making public transportation safe so people use it willingly!”
