New York's controversial congestion tolls to begin this Sunday

The countdown to implement controversial congestion tolls in New York will end at 00:01 on Sunday, when drivers will start paying a fee of $9 and up to enter Manhattan, south of 60th Street, in the "Congestion Relief Zone."

The move comes despite New Jersey opposition, which sought a temporary restraining order for the measure that was rejected by a federal judge on Friday.

The judge's decision cleared the way for New York to activate toll readers starting this Jan. 5, forcing drivers entering Manhattan's busiest area to pay a $9 toll.

The plan will work as follows: the $9 tolls will be for passenger vehicles and small commercial vehicles (sedans, SUVs, pickups and small vans) and will be in effect from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. every weekday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, according to the MTA. Drivers will pay $2.25 off-peak.

Meanwhile, motorcycle tolls will be $4.50 during rush hour and $1.05 during the nighttime period. These vehicles will only be charged once a day.

In addition, small trucks (single-unit) and some buses will pay a toll of $14.40 during rush hour and $3.60 during nighttime hours. Large (multi-unit) trucks and tour buses will pay $21.60 during rush hour and $5.40 during nighttime hours.

"[We're] doing something that proves that the city is not paralyzed to deal with the challenges. We're doing something that's about cleaner air and safer streets and less traffic and better transit. We're doing something that's historic. It's the first in the nation," Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said Saturday.

While a federal appeals court on Saturday issued an order denying New Jersey's petition, the state can still pursue its appeal, but the court won't hear arguments until after congestion tolling goes into effect.

Lawyers representing New Jersey argued that congestion tolling is not only illegal, but would irreversibly harm the Garden State. Despite their arguments, the federal judge ruled that they were unable to make their case.

"We respectfully disagree with today's decision," stated Randy Mastro, an attorney representing New Jersey.

A spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also sharply questioned the move, which was sharply criticized at the time by President-elect Donald Trump.

"We are disappointed that the courts are allowing congestion pricing to take effect tomorrow despite agreeing that its approval violated the law and arbitrarily shortchanged New Jersey residents. We will continue fighting against this unfair and unpopular scheme."

The New York congestion pricing plan is the first of its kind in the United States and has been widely challenged.

In fact, in an Instagram post by the MTA, many New York users complained about how the agency celebrated the announcement of the "Congestion Relief Zone" and the tolling of drivers.

"We ain’t happy about this, just put the sign up and go about y’all day. No unveiling necessary," wrote one user on Instagram who found the MTA's announcement distasteful.

The MTA, which estimates the toll will provide about $15 billion for capital projects, has said the measure could help incentivize the use of public transit to ease New York City's tough traffic. However, critics believe the measure will be a heavy hit to drivers' pocketbooks and will not in any way solve the problem of traffic congestion.