Well, we're starting to get a clearer picture of how New York City's congestion pricing plan will affect New Jersey drivers.
The city's board tasked with creating the new toll system met on Monday to consider discounts between four and $7 for motorists who use the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, along with drivers using the Queens Midtown Tunnel and Brooklyn Battery Tunnel heading into Manhattan.
But we still don't know what the base toll to enter midtown Manhattan will cost the Metropolitan and Transportation Authority, or MTA is considering the congestion pricing plan to reduce traffic and air pollution, but also to help raise funds for transportation projects.
It'll charge motorists who drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan as much as 23 bucks during peak hours.
Governor Murphy and other high ranking New Jersey officials are fighting the plan, which is slated to go into effect in spring 2024 at the earliest.
That battle is also reviving a ten year old proposal to extend the New York City subways.
Seven train to Secaucus, a boon for roughly 128,000 riders.
But as Ted Goldberg reports, the price tag for the project may make it dead on arrival.
Secaucus Junction handles more than 16,000 riders a month.
Some of those passengers would be pretty happy if New York subway system found a way to end up here.
I have to wait for one hour for my train because I missed the F41 train.
The transfer is kind of it's going to not easy.
A long shelved plan would extend the seven line into Secaucus and could be a big bonus for commuters and Mets fans.
Derby A big plus because take it from here.
Take you right into Citi Field.
I would save you a lot more time, probably 30 minutes.
The idea of being able to get from New Jersey to Queens and a one seat ride, it's epic.
Felicia Park Rogers works for the nonprofit Tri-State Transportation Campaign.
Anything that we can do to plan for the long term regional access is a great thing to do.
She says this ambitious plan could be done if New Jersey and New York cooperate.
A feasibility study done ten years ago says it's doable but expensive.
Park Rogers estimates it would cost well over $10 billion.
I think it would have to be entirely reevaluated under the New Hudson Tunnels plan, and if that would be, there's already a lot of competition in those tunnels for trucks and trains.
New Jersey Transit desperately needs more tunnel space to be able to increase its capacity of trains into New York.
Congressman Bill Pascrell and Rob Menendez sent a letter to New York's MTA hoping to revive the plan.
In that letter, they say, quote, While we disagree with the MTA's decision to move forward with congestion pricing, we look forward to engaging in a productive dialog that will both benefit New Jersey residents and further, the plan's stated goals of getting cars off the road.
If it is currently being pursued as a poke in the eye around congestion pricing.
You know, this is a long term big project.
Let's revive it.
Let's look at it.
The congestion pricing funds is not an endless pot of money.
It is estimated to raise $15 billion by statute.
That is slotted towards MTA capital projects in the capital project budget.
The MTA is Traffic Mobility Review Board met last night to discuss some of the particulars with congestion pricing.
We have consistently added service and I think we can't discount that at all.
Additional service, one across eight lines, and then by next year, an additional four lines will have additional service.
Those additional lines did not include expanding the seven train.
And the letter signed by Pascrell and Menendez was not mentioned.
It's an admirable goal, but I don't think it's one that can be achieved in a short term and a small time frame.
Even over a long time frame and a multibillion dollar price tag.
It's a tough task to bridge Secaucus Junction to New York's subways, even if it would benefit thousands of New Jerseyans in the process.
In Secaucus, I'm Ted Goldberg.
NJ Spotlight News.
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