Negotiations between New Jersey and New York over congestion pricing have stalled with less than three weeks to go before the toll program is set to go into effect.
During a news conference Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul accused Gov. Phil Murphy of acting in bad faith and New Jersey officials for not accepting a “generous” settlement deal to end the lawsuit New Jersey filed last year over the controversial program.
“If you’re one of the 80 percent of the New Jersey residents that gets stuck on NJ Transit or waiting an hour on a PATH train or you want a nice new bus train, this is all going to be affected if congestion pricing doesn’t go through,” Hochul said.
Hochul last month reintroduced congestion pricing with a toll rate of $9 after temporarily halting it shortly before its original June start date. The program was established to fund improvements for New York City’s mass transit system, charging motorists a toll to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, in turn reducing traffic and improving air quality. It’s set to start on Jan. 5.
New Jersey’s lawsuit argues that federal officials allowed New York to move ahead with the tolls without fully addressing how the program could shift traffic and pollution in the region.
