Congestion pricing is expected to go into effect Sunday because of a federal judge’s ruling rejecting a last-minute challenge brought by the state of New Jersey.
The decision Friday evening by U.S. Senior Judge Leo Gordon clears the way for the MTA to begin charging the toll as scheduled on Sunday, the culmination of a years-long planning process for a program designed to decrease traffic in Midtown and Lower Manhattan while raising billions of dollars for the MTA.
“In a nutshell, denied,” Gordon said, rejecting New Jersey’s arguments for a delay of the tolls.
Attorney Randy Mastro, representing New Jersey, vowed to appeal — meaning the legal fight could continue through the weekend.
Gordon’s ruling amounted to a follow-up of a 72-page decision he issued Monday that was largely in the MTA’s favor, but failed to clearly state whether the agency could turn on the tolls as planned. The judge found that the MTA had conducted an adequate analysis of the tolling program, which has a base fare of $9.