Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said he’s considering taking legal action in the form of a civil rights lawsuit against the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Bhalla said this is an effort to prevent the planned expansion of the turnpike, PIX11 News reported.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Michael Fulop also announced Wednesday, May 14, at the “Rage Against the Turnpike” rally that his city will challenge the project in court, according to the Jersey City Times.
“If you care about health, if you care about the environment, if you care about mass transit, it would lead you to the conclusion that this project is wrong for New Jersey,” Fulop said, as reported by the news outlet.
Federal protections revoked
The litigation comes after a finding by the U.S. Coast Guard that the first phase of the turnpike expansion project would not cause significant environmental harm. The Coast Guard issued permits for the first phase of the project in early May.
The Coast Guard’s decision came shortly after the Trump administration revoked protections in January 2025 meant to prevent environmental harm in minority and low-income communities.
Critics suggested that removing those protections may have influenced the Coast Guard’s decision and made it easier for the project to move forward without a more thorough environmental review.
Bhalla denounces expansion
Bhalla said he’s been the target of political attacks over his opposition to the turnpike project.
“There’s a reason the special interest groups that are pushing the turnpike expansion boondoggle are spending six figures in negative mailers against me — and it’s because in the legislature I will do everything in my power to end this senseless $11 billion highway expansion,” Bhalla posted on X on Tuesday, May 13. “We need to invest in our crumbling mass transit infrastructure, and end this project that will cause more traffic and harm our environment. Why is this so complicated?”
The project also includes repairs to the Newark Bay Bridge. While Bhalla said existing infrastructure is in need of updates, he added that people are “conflating that with the expansion issue.”
Despite the New Jersey Turnpike Authority moving forward with early-stage contracts, the project faces mounting resistance.
Local residents, environmental justice groups and city officials oppose the plan. Critics contend it would worsen pollution in already overburdened communities.
However, New Jersey Assemblyman William Sampson advocated for the turnpike expansion and said it could provide union work for laborers, Jersey City Times reported.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said the expansion will not cause more pollution or congestion.
