First it was April. Then it was May. But now, because of a lawsuit from New Jersey trying to stop congestion pricing, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is aiming to launch the new toll in June.
But it doesn’t matter to some drivers in Queens, who say the recommendation of tolling most drivers $15 to drive below 60th Street seems inevitable.
“They’re just trying to push it back, push it back, trying to give a little leeway for us to vent, for us to let them know how it’s affecting us. It’s going to affect everybody,” driver Kennedy Desmangeles told NY1.
Lawyers for the MTA and the U.S. Department of Transportation were back in federal court in Newark Tuesday in regards to the Garden State’s lawsuit trying to stop congestion pricing.
Judge Leo Gordon, now the third judge on this case, asked the MTA’s lawyer, Mark Churtok, for a timeline Tuesday so the judge could ensure he could rule on the case before the launch of the tax.
Gordon said throughout the status conference that he is aware of the stringent timeline, and because of that, rejected New Jersey’s motion to amend their lawsuit. The Garden State wanted to argue the toll plan was unconstitutional, but the judge felt that would lead to a delay in a decision.
“We appreciate the court's focus on expeditiously resolving the pending litigation,” the MTA said in a statement.
Churtok explained Tuesday that public hearings and a comment period would end March 11. Then, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority board will then vote to adopt a plan based on feedback and a recommendation from the Traffic Mobility Review Board by late March.
That would trigger another environmental review by the federal government to make sure the impacts of congestion pricing were consistent with a finding of no significant impact.
That is what New Jersey and other lawsuits are focusing on. They say there are in fact significant impacts and congestion pricing violates the National Environmental Policy Act.
After the federal government signs off on the plan, however, congestion pricing could go into effect around June 15.
“Congestion pricing can't come fast enough given the amount of critical investment in mass transit that is ready to proceed,” the MTA said in a statement.
There are at least four lawsuits against the congestion pricing plan, including one led by Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella. Lawyers in that case are due in court later this month. Oral arguments in the New Jersey case are set for April 4.