New Jersey filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday against the US Department of Transportation, which gave final approval for New York City’s plan. New York City’s plan could toll drivers entering Manhattan below 60th street up to $23 and is set to begin as soon as spring 2024. It’s designed to reduce carbon emissions from cars and pollution, improve public transit, and make the nation’s largest city more livable. It would be the first congestion price program in the United States.
The suit asks the court to put congestion pricing on hold until studies assessing its impact on traffic and air quality are completed, a process that can take years. The Department of Transportation declined to comment on the lawsuit. Downtown Manhattan has some of the worst gridlock in the United States. New York City’s congestion price plan, which would toll drivers electronically, aims to reduce the number of vehicles entering the congestion zone by at least 10% every day.