$15 Toll Hike Likely For NJ Commuters Headed To NYC: Report

NEW YORK CITY — New Jersey commuters bound for Manhattan may have to pay a $15 toll to drive on some of the borough's busiest streets as a plan to implement congestion pricing in the city takes shape, according to reports.

Officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are expected to recommend the once-daily toll amount for drivers who enter Manhattan below 60th Street during most hours of the day, according to New York Times and Gothamist reports citing people who reviewed the plan but weren't authorized to discuss it.

According to the Times, commercial trucks would also pay as much as $36. Taxis will add $1.25 per fare and ride-hail apps like Uber and Lyft will tack on an extra $2.50 per ride.

The MTA board is expected to review and approve the price hike at a meeting next week, reports said.

New York City's proposed congestion pricing plan is the first of its kind in the United States. Proponents of the plan — who include Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Joe Biden's administration — argue the toll will pump less pollution into the streets of New York City, as well as reduce traffic and raise needed funds for public transportation.

The Federal Highway Administration approved the plan in late June and is slated to go into effect as soon as May 2024.

"Congestion pricing will reduce traffic in our crowded downtown, improve air quality and provide critical resources to the MTA," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement reported by the New York Times. "With the green light from the federal government, we look forward to moving ahead with implementing this program."

Despite receiving the thumbs up, the plan has received significant pushback from New Jersey lawmakers who decried tolls as unfair to commuters and congestion pricing as a cash grab for the MTA, which would receive billions of dollars of funding from congestion pricing.

In July, New Jersey officials filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court challenging the city's plan.

"If the MTA gets its way, trucks will be backed up here in North Jersey, billowing cancer-causing pollution into the lungs of our children," U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer said.

He added, "I want to thank our Governor for punching back at a state that decided to use Jersey as their piggy bank to solve their years of criminal mismanagement at the MTA.”

In its lawsuit, the Garden State argued the environmental review failed to conduct proper outreach or consider impacts on Jersey citizens that include bad traffic and worse pollution.

In response, the MTA pointed to their 4,000-page environmental assessment, 80,000 comments and submissions and six public hearings that lasted 38 hours.

“This lawsuit is baseless," said MTA Chief External Relations John J. McCarthy. "We’re confident the federal approval — and the entire process — will stand up to scrutiny."