A federal judge issued a partial ruling on Monday in the battle between New York and New Jersey over New York City’s controversial congestion pricing, finding the Empire State took most of the necessary steps to impose a plan to charge a toll on drivers entering the center of Manhattan.

The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Leo M. Gordon, also called on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to review and provide an explanation of certain aspects of the congestion pricing program.

While Gordon asked the FHWA for more information, he did not explicitly state whether the program should proceed as planned on Jan. 5, 2025.

Despite this, officials from New York and New Jersey claimed victory after Gordon issued his decision.

FILE – Pedestrians cross Delancey Street as congested traffic from Brooklyn enters Manhattan over the Williamsburg Bridge, March 28, 2019, in New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, indefinitely delayed implementation of a plan to charge motorists big tolls to enter the core of Manhattan, just weeks before the nation’s first “congestion pricing” system was set to launch.  (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

According to the judge’s decision, the FHWA has until Jan. 17, 2025 to provide feedback.

Last month, the MTA approved Hochul’s congestion pricing in a 12-1 vote.

Congestion pricing would commence in January, and institute a video-enforced toll on newly-built gantries surrounding the city’s core. Traffic moving below 60th Street and Central Park, and entering from New Jersey, Brooklyn or Queens — except for via the RFK Triboro Bridge and George Washington Bridge — would be subject to the toll.

Hochul previously said she would like to see a slightly lower price point than the original $15 — around $9, citing inflation — and Lieber suggested he was open to seeing whether a lower toll could achieve the same revenue goals.

Ultimately, the MTA agreed to a phased-in congestion pricing plan that will result in Manhattan drivers getting hit with a higher-priced toll by 2031.

President-elect Trump has indicated his intentions to scrap congestion pricing once he returns to the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025, a move that could be more complicated if the program is already in place.