Overview
- Traffic into the Manhattan toll zone fell by roughly 24 million vehicle entries in the first year, with only modest speed gains that researchers link in part to rising taxi activity.
- The $9 charge has become routine for many travelers and has generated about $500 million for the MTA capital program through November, with studies also noting safety and air-quality gains inside the zone.
- The central case, MTA v. Duffy, moves toward late‑January oral arguments after Judge Lewis Liman barred federal retaliation and wrote that the MTA is likely to succeed on the merits.
- Additional challenges continue, including the Trucking Association of New York’s Commerce Clause and FAAAA claims now at the summary‑judgment stage, a Blumencranz suit paced to Liman’s Duffy ruling, and a Town of Hempstead case with a venue motion pending.
- In New Jersey v. U.S. DOT, Judge Leo Gordon allowed tolling to proceed but is still reviewing FHWA explanations on environmental mitigation and the $9 toll’s revenue rationale.