The hotly contested issue of whether to move forward with New York’s $15 congestion charge is being fought in federal court this week as New Jersey seeks to block the bill.
Lawyers for the Garden State argued Wednesday and Thursday in a Newark courtroom over whether enough research was done to assess the impact of the toll on Jersey drivers, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Confront MTA lawyers.
If federal authorities win their bid to dismiss the case, despite several other lawsuits, it would bring the new fees one step closer to becoming a reality.
Four other lawsuits have been filed in courts in both New Jersey and New York seeking to block congestion pricing. According to a report by Politico.
The MTA’s board last week passed a resolution approving a plan to charge drivers $15 to enter Midtown Manhattan below 60th Street, but trucks would have to pay an even higher toll.
Supporters of the policy, the first of its kind in the country, say it will reduce pollution and congestion on peak days, and generate billions of dollars that will be earmarked for improvements to the public transportation system. .
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy filed a lawsuit in July against the federal government, accusing it of unfairly targeting New Jersey residents.
Federal Judge Leo Gordon is scheduled to decide the outcome of a hearing this week on allegations that the FHA pushed the MTA’s finding that there would be “no significant impact on human health or the natural environment” if congestion pricing passes. focused.
New Jersey is asking Gordon to rule that the FHA should not approve the MTA’s report and that the entire plan requires further review.
The judge will probably have to issue a ruling by June, when the toll goes into effect.
Many of the other lawsuits, like the New Jersey lawsuit, allege that insufficient studies were conducted to examine the environmental impacts to where traffic would be redirected.
In January, the teachers union joined forces with the Staten Island Borough President to make a similar argument that city employees must unfairly pay for new tolls.
Other lawsuits claim the plan would create new traffic patterns that would create bottlenecks in certain areas of Manhattan and worsen pollution.
