Congestion pricing cameras will flicker on at midnight after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected New Jersey’s last-minute appeal Saturday − making it the first congestion pricing program in the country.
The denial was the second blow in less than 24 hours to the Garden State’s attempts to halt the controversial tolling program that will charge drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. After a lengthy court session stretched into Friday evening, Judge Leo M. Gordon from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey denied a request from New Jersey’s lawyer, Randy Mastro, to halt the program as some issues from the lawsuit get resolved.
“We are disappointed that the courts are allowing congestion pricing to take effect tomorrow despite agreeing that its approval violated the law and arbitrarily shortchanged New Jersey residents,” said Natalie Hamilton, a spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration. “We will continue fighting against this unfair and unpopular scheme.”
Janno Lieber, who heads the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, applauded the court’s decision on Friday.
“Now, after untold numbers of lawsuits, lots of fighting in the press, the time for debating and lawsuits is over. It’s time to get to work to make this new initiative a success for New York − and I think we’re ready,” Lieber said.
According to Gordon’s decision released Monday, the outstanding issue that will get resolved over the coming weeks is whether New Jersey will receive some money for mitigation efforts to address potential increases in pollution stemming from the program.
In the weeks leading up to Gordon’s decision, the administrations of Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Murphy were in talks to try to settle the case, but did not come to an agreement. Hochul said they made “generous” offers to New Jersey, but accused the Murphy administration of not negotiating in good faith.
Asked what the offers were and why New Jersey denied them, Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna declined to comment.
There are still several other cases against congestion pricing that are making their way through the courts.
How much will congestion pricing cost me?
Here’s an overview of the costs, discounts, timetables, credits and other details explaining how congestion pricing will work.
Charges at E-ZPass rates from 2025 to 2027:
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$9 will be charged once daily for passenger vehicles and passenger vehicles with commercial license plates that enter the zone during peak hours, between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
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$2.25 will be charged for passenger vehicles and passenger vehicles with commercial license plates that enter the zone during off-peak hours.
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$14.40 or $21.60 will be charged for trucks and buses — depending on their size — to enter the zone during peak hours.
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$3.60 or $5.40 will be charged for trucks and buses depending on their size to enter the zone during off-peak hours.
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$4.50 will be charged for motorcycles to enter the zone during peak hours.
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$1.05 will be charged for motorcycles to enter the zone during off-peak hours.
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$0.75 will be added to each paid passenger trip for trips to, from, within or through the zone using a taxi, green cab or for-hire vehicle.
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$1.50 will be added to each paid passenger trip for trips to, from, within or through the zone using a high-volume for-hire vehicle or app-based service, such as Uber and Lyft.
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Vehicles that receive tolls by mail will pay 50% more than the E-ZPass rates.
Credits, discounts and exemptions
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School buses contracted with the New York City Department of Education, commuter vans licensed with the city Taxi and Limousine Commission and buses providing scheduled commuter services open to the public, including NJ Transit and fixed routes from private carriers, are exempt from the toll.
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Specialized government vehicles will be exempt. This includes those carrying equipment and tools or when the vehicle itself is needed to do the work; it does not include those carrying agency personnel or elected officials.
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Certain emergency vehicles and qualifying vehicles transporting people with disabilities will be exempt.
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The Lincoln and Holland tunnels’ crossing credit during peak hours will be $3 for passenger vehicles; $1.50 for motorcycles; and $7.20 or $12 for trucks and buses, depending on their size.
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The Queens-Midtown and Hugh Carey tunnels’ crossing credit during peak hours will be $1.50 for passenger vehicles; $0.75 for motorcycles; and $3.60 or $6 for trucks and buses, depending on their size.
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There is no crossing credit during off-peak hours.
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Low-income vehicle owners who register with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority program will receive a 50% discount on the passenger vehicle peak period E-ZPass toll rate on their vehicle’s 11th trip and subsequent trips in a calendar month. There are no residency requirements to qualify for the discount.
In 2028 and 2031, congestion pricing rates will increase to $12 and $15, respectively, for automobiles using E-ZPass at peak times. Here is the full schedule of congestion pricing toll increases for all vehicles.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Manhattan congestion pricing to start after rejected appeal