New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is addicted to traffic.
The car-brained Garden State executive has long said that congestion pricing is a "money grab" — but it turns out he's mostly just afraid that less car traffic into New York City means less money flowing to New Jersey.
Murphy's latest concern-troll came in the form of a recent letter to the Port Authority in which he worried that car drivers in New Jersey might, horrors, be driving into the city less.
“As you are aware, New Jersey has significant concerns regarding New York and the Metropolitan [Transportation] Authority’s congestion pricing program,” Murphy said in the letter to the authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole, whose existence was first reported by the New York Post. "Please allow this letter to serve as a formal request for statistical information related to the impact of New York’s congestion pricing scheme on the Port Authority."
In other words: congestion pricing is reducing traffic so successfully that his state's share of toll revenue will shrink.
And this from a self-proclaimed environmentalist — a boast that withers in light of other policy decisions of this gridlock governor: not only has he underfunded public transit in his own state, but he is simultaneously pouring billions into widening the revenue-generating New Jersey Turnpike to spew more traffic into New York City.
Even worse, Murphy's latest anti-congestion pricing antics ignore the Port Authority's own projection for its $9.4-billion 2025 budget [PDF]: an $113-million bump in toll revenues for this year, up 6 percent from last year, thanks in part to its own hike of the charges at the three crossings into Manhattan.
Crucially, the authority's board — including members appointed by Murphy — signed off on the new fiscal plan on Dec. 12, nearly a month after New York Gov. Hochul un-paused congestion pricing, indicating that the Jersey leader's supposed concern is no more than a "political stunt," according to one watchdog.
"The Port Authority’s own budget says it’s not going to lose money," said Rachael Fauss, senior policy advisor at Reinvent Albany. "So is he saying that his own Port Authority staff members don’t know what they’re doing?"
Toll revenues comprise about 30 percent of the Port Authority budget, behind rental income from its properties, like the World Trade Center, which account for 34 percent. The agency also runs the regions airports and shipping ports, which have repeatedly broken air passenger and freight records in recent years, along with the two bus terminals in Manhattan, and the PATH train.
Port officials have yet to release any data measuring the effect of congestion pricing on their properties, while the new charge's operator, New York's MTA, logged about half a million fewer daily car trips in the first two weeks of the program.
Murphy unsuccessfully sued the Empire State over congestion pricing, and even turned down a substantial monetary settlement offer. He has since asked President Trump to step in to "review" the toll.
But the gridlock gov's war on New York goes deeper: His proposal to widen the Turnpike leading up to the Holland Tunnel will unload hundreds of more cars an hour onto Lower Manhattan, according to forecasts.
The MTA's lengthy environmental review of congestion pricing estimated that some drivers would divert to the George Washington Bridge due to the new charge, but that span's tolls still go to the Port Authority. The MTA also gives drivers of the tolled tunnels a $3 credit on congestion pricing — which should quiet the new toll's impact on Port coffers, Fauss noted.
"It’s the full amount that is still going to the Port Authority. It’s the MTA that is not going to be getting as much from the congestion toll," she said.
The Port Authority expects toll revenues to grow this year thanks to an increase in its charges that took effect on Jan. 5, the same day as congestion pricing launched. The agency's budget projects PATH revenues will also increase by 11 percent thanks to a fare hike on those trains and more riders returning to mass transit after a Covid-era slump.
The overwhelming majority of New Jersey residents traveling to the congestion zone commute by mass transit, and the Port Authority must produce stats on all transportation modes from across the Hudson, including PATH and New Jersey Transit ridership, noted one regional advocate.
"We want to see the full picture and that includes transit ridership," said Jaqi Cohen, director of Climate and Equity Policy at Tri-State Transportation Campaign. "You can’t tell the story without the full picture."
It's unclear whether Murphy also asked for transit ridership numbers in his letter. His office did not respond for comment by press time.
A Port Authority spokesman said the agency will provide crossing data to Murphy "going forward," and to the public at its next board meeting in February.
"The Port Authority will provide Gov. Murphy’s office the requested data moving forward," said Seth Stein in a statement.
The MTA declined to comment.
