MnPASS
Encyclopedia
MnPASS is an electronic toll collection
system operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation
.
The MnPASS transponder has a minimum first time charge of US$
40, and there is a monthly fee of $1.50 to lease the transponder. Rush hour
tolls for I-394 are usually between $1 and $4, though highly congested periods may see it go as high as $8. The price of the toll is determined by the density of the traffic. When there is more traffic, the toll is priced higher. Electronic sensors monitor the traffic density and tolls are changed every three minutes. During non-rush hours, tolls are $0.25 for the reversible lanes between I-94 and Highway 100
, and free (signed simply as "OPEN") between Highway 100 and Interstate 494
. During "OPEN" periods, any single passenger vehicle may use the lane regardless of whether or not they have a transponder installed.
Presently, the MnPASS is not interoperable with other transponder-based toll systems, such as E-ZPass
or I-Pass
.
There are two high-occupancy toll (HOT) express lanes at the center of Interstate 394. Prior to May 16, 2005, they had been traditional high-occupancy vehicle (HOV, or carpool) lanes, allowing bus
es, motorcycle
s, and vehicles with two or more occupants to use them during rush hour
periods, while single-occupancy vehicles were not permitted. Now, drivers riding alone can use the lanes at any time but must have a MnPASS electronic toll collection transponder. However, due to bottlenecks in a few places, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
relaxed restrictions to allow all traffic in at least one area during non-rush hour times.
From I-494 to Minnesota State Highway 100
, the lanes are separated from traffic by double white lines. Between MN-100 and Interstate 94
near downtown, the two lanes are combined into a reversible expressway in the median
that is separated from the eastbound and westbound lanes by a concrete
barrier. This segment changes directions to accommodate the traffic flow at different times of day. In the morning until 1PM it is open to downtown-bound eastward flowing traffic, while it is open to westbound traffic beginning at 2PM through the evening.
Electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
system operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
.
The MnPASS transponder has a minimum first time charge of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
40, and there is a monthly fee of $1.50 to lease the transponder. Rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
tolls for I-394 are usually between $1 and $4, though highly congested periods may see it go as high as $8. The price of the toll is determined by the density of the traffic. When there is more traffic, the toll is priced higher. Electronic sensors monitor the traffic density and tolls are changed every three minutes. During non-rush hours, tolls are $0.25 for the reversible lanes between I-94 and Highway 100
Minnesota State Highway 100
Minnesota State Highway 100 is a state highway in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 494 in Bloomington and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with I-694 in Brooklyn Center...
, and free (signed simply as "OPEN") between Highway 100 and Interstate 494
Interstate 494
Interstate 494 is a loop route making up part of a beltway of Interstate 94, circling through the southern and western portions of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota...
. During "OPEN" periods, any single passenger vehicle may use the lane regardless of whether or not they have a transponder installed.
Presently, the MnPASS is not interoperable with other transponder-based toll systems, such as E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
or I-Pass
I-Pass
I-PASS is the electronic toll collection system used by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority on its toll highways. It uses the same transponder as the E-ZPass system used in the Northeastern US, and the Indiana Toll Road's i-Zoom program....
.
I-394
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, and vehicles with two or more occupants to use them during rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
periods, while single-occupancy vehicles were not permitted. Now, drivers riding alone can use the lanes at any time but must have a MnPASS electronic toll collection transponder. However, due to bottlenecks in a few places, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
relaxed restrictions to allow all traffic in at least one area during non-rush hour times.
From I-494 to Minnesota State Highway 100
Minnesota State Highway 100
Minnesota State Highway 100 is a state highway in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 494 in Bloomington and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with I-694 in Brooklyn Center...
, the lanes are separated from traffic by double white lines. Between MN-100 and Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
near downtown, the two lanes are combined into a reversible expressway in the median
Central reservation
On divided roads, such as divided highways or freeways/motorways, the central reservation , median, parkway , median strip or central nature strip is the area which separates opposing lanes of traffic...
that is separated from the eastbound and westbound lanes by a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
barrier. This segment changes directions to accommodate the traffic flow at different times of day. In the morning until 1PM it is open to downtown-bound eastward flowing traffic, while it is open to westbound traffic beginning at 2PM through the evening.