High-Occupancy Toll Lane Innovations: I-394 MnPASS

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) has implemented the state’s first optional toll lane project, called the I-394 MnPASS, in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. This project, which opened in May 2005, converts the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-394 into high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, allowing solo drivers the opportunity to pay an electronic fee to bypass congestion. The lanes remain open to HOV use at no charge, including transit riders, car pools, and motorcyclists. I-394 MnPASS is the first tolling project that prices a facility directly adjacent to general-purpose lanes, separated only by a double-white-stripe buffer. Several HOT-lane innovations have been introduced to reduce project development time and costs, to improve operations, and to enhance enforcement.