After a federal lawsuit brought by his administration failed to stop New York’s congestion pricing plan, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is appealing to another power: President Trump. “As you begin your second term as president, I welcome any opportunity to work with you and your administration where we can find common ground,” the Garden State Democrat wrote in an open letter to Trump on Inauguration Day. “One area where I believe our priorities align is congestion pricing.” New York’s congestion pricing plan, which tolls drivers on Manhattan’s surface streets at 60th and below, has been in effect since Jan. 5 — following a yearslong environmental study approved by the federal government and multiple legal challenges brought by the Murphy administration and others. Trump, a former New York resident, has been an outspoken opponent of the plan. In May, the once and future president said on social media that he would “TERMINATE” the toll during his first week in office — underscoring the pledge with multiple exclamation points. A congestion pricing sign along Columbus Ave. near W. 61st St. in Manhattan. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News) Trump called the toll a “business killer” and claimed that the plan — which was required by a 2019 New York state law — was rushed and “railroaded” into effect by the administration of former President Joe Biden. Murphy reminded Trump of that post Monday. “I know we share significant concerns about these developments,” Murphy wrote. The Garden State governor reiterated two arguments made in his administration’s lawsuit — despite those concerns being addressed by New York. “The [current] congestion pricing plan is a disaster for working- and middle-class New Jersey commuters and residents who need or want to visit lower Manhattan and now need to pay a big fee on top of the bridge and tunnel tolls they already pay,” Murphy wrote. “And adding insult to injury,” he continued, “New Jersey communities are not being fully compensated for the additional traffic and attendant pollution that will be re-routed to them because of congestion pricing.” The congestion pricing toll as currently implemented give the largest so-called “crossing credit” to New Jersey commuters. Those who enter the city via the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels receive a $3 credit to offset the toll, while those who enter via the Brooklyn-Battery or Queens-Midtown tunnels receive a smaller $1.50 credit. Attorneys for the MTA have also said in court that $9.8 million has been earmarked for New Jersey communities for pollution mitigation due to changing traffic patterns. A federal judge in Newark knocked down New Jersey’s effort to pause the plan earlier this month, ruling that a 4,000-page environmental assessment of the plan was sufficient to proceed, and the feds had been within their right to approve it. Attorneys for New Jersey have vowed to appeal the ruling. Congestion pricing cameras are pictured on Central Park West at Columbus Circle Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News) The congestion pricing plan tolls the majority of drivers $9 once a day to drive on surface streets in Midtown and lower Manhattan, with discounts for those who enter via the already-tolled tunnel crossings into the zone. The toll is meant to reduce overall vehicular congestion within the tolling zone, as well as to generate enough revenue to back $15 billion in bonds for MTA construction and repair projects.