MTA gets OK to start $9 Manhattan congestion toll following Jersey judges ruling Hochul calls it massive win for commuters

A political war on the Hudson erupted Monday over New York Gov.Kathy Hochul and the MTA’s controversial $9 congestion toll.The MTA can now begin collecting the first-in-the-nation congestion fee on Sunday, Jan.

5, to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street — following a federal judge’s ruling in Newark.While Judge Leo Gordon said environmental mitigation concerns on the Jersey side of the Hudson have to be addressed, he chose not to issue a preliminary injunction to block implementation of the toll in his 72-page ruling.“The decision does not interfere with the program’s scheduled implementation this coming Sunday, January 5,” said MTA chairman Janno Lieber.Hochul hailed the decision.“Despite the best efforts of the State of New Jersey trying to thwart New York’s ability to reduce congestion on our streets while making long-overdue investments in public transit, our position has prevailed in court on nearly every issue,” she said in a Monday night statement.“This is a massive win for commuters in both New York and New Jersey.Now that the judge has issued his ruling, the program will move forward this weekend with a 40 percent reduction in the originally proposed cost of the toll,” she added, noting the originally proposed fee was $15.But the Garden State claimed the ruling does pump the brakes on the new toll.“We welcome the court’s ruling today in the congestion pricing lawsuit.

Because of New Jersey’s litigation, the judge has ordered a remand, and the MTA therefore cannot proceed with implementing the current congestion pricing proposal on January 5, 2025,” New Jersey Gov.Phil Murphy said.In sum, Gordon largely sided with the MTA and the US Department of Transportation — the defendants in the suit — over New Jersey, the plaintiff, regarding the extensive environmental assessments conducted over the impact of congestion pricing.But the judge said the defendants erred in not providing enough specifics of measures to mitigate enviro...