Gov. Phil Murphy is standing by his statement that he is in talks with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to work out a compromise over proposed extra fees to travel into Manhattan.
Murphy says that the proposed congestion pricing would negatively affect New Jersey drivers, and would essentially force them to pay two tolls to commute into Manhattan.
“I want to make sure folks in Jersey know we’ve got their back. They’re not going to be discriminated against. They won’t be double taxed,” the governor says.
Murphy said Wednesday that he spoke with Cuomo to begin work on a tentative deal between the two states.
But MTA CEO Patrick Foye says that Murphy must be mistaken.
“No agreement has been reached with New Jersey or anyone else on credits, exemptions or carveouts,” Foye said in a statement.
Foye says that the MTA will set the congestion pricing after a traffic study is completed.
Murphy declined to respond directly to Foye Thursday, but said, “You’ll have to ask the New York side of the [Hudson] River. My words come directly from conversations with Gov. Cuomo.”
Cuomo said in a statement, “No conclusions will be reached by the MTA until all studies are completed.” These traffic studies are expected to talk about two years.
“They just unveiled this three weeks ago and they don’t necessarily know where this is going, and so the distance between today and where this ends up is miles and miles and miles,” Murphy says.
Congestion pricing is expected to affect drivers heading into Manhattan anywhere from 60th Street and south.