Contacts
- Chris Krueger
651-366-4263
Location
Minnesota Department of
Transportation
Office of Communications
395 John Ireland Blvd.
Mail Stop 150
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
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I-35W MnPASS Express Lanes $25 new account promotion
is extended through the end of the year
New customers also eligible for $20 in free bus or transit rides
Saint Paul, Minn. - Commuters now have until the end of the year to receive $25 in free tolls for opening a new MnPASS Express Lanes account. The promotion has been extended by the Minnesota Department of Transportation due to the excellent response by metro area commuters. More than 5,000 new MnPASS Express Lanes accounts have been opened since the promotion began July 20, 2009.
New MnPASS subscribers who open an account by December 31 will also receive $20 worth of bus or trains rides with the purchase of a $20 Go-To Card, a transit pass that's valid on all buses and trains operated by Metro Transit and other regional providers.
“When it snows, many MnPASS account holders take advantage of the Express Lanes because they can save even more time when the weather leads to slower travel,” said Mn/DOT project manager Nick Thompson. “We are expecting that many more commuters will open a new account as the snow days are soon upon us.”
MnPASS is easy to get and even easier to use. Opening a new prepaid account takes less than 10 minutes. Customers can go to www.mnpass.net or call the MnPASS Customer Service Center at 1-866-EZ-RIDE4 (1-866-397-4334). Within a few days after opening the account, the MnPASS Welcome Kit will arrive with easy instructions on how to install the transponder in the vehicle. The $25 in free toll credits will be deposited into the new subscriber’s MnPASS account.
The $25 in free MnPASS toll credits promotion is good for new accounts opened by December 31, 2009, and cannot be applied to customers who have closed an account in the last six months. This promotion does not apply to transponders added to existing MnPASS accounts. The $25 in free tolls is limited to one per household, not per transponder.
Once enrolled in MnPASS, new subscribers will receive an e-mail with details on how to obtain a Go-To Card, a transit pass that’s valid on all regional buses and transit and $20 worth of free fares. For each ride, the fare is deducted and when the pass gets low, value can be added at www.metrotransit.org.
The MnPASS Express Lanes offer motorists improved access to reliable travel in the busy
I-35W and I-394 corridors. Solo motorists with a valid MnPASS account can choose to pay a toll to access the Express Lanes; carpools with two or more occupants, motorcycles and transit buses can use the Express Lanes free of charge.
The new I-35W MnPASS Express Lanes include two segments: from Highway 13 in Burnsville to I-494 and from I-494 to downtown Minneapolis. On the segment from I-494 to downtown, transit vehicles, carpools and MnPASS customers are able to use a converted shoulder lane north of 42nd Street during certain times when traffic is congested. Electronic signs will alert drivers when the shoulder is open or closed.
I-35W MnPASS is part of a coordinated effort by Mn/DOT and the Urban Partnership Agreement to manage increasing traffic on I-35W, Highway 77/Cedar Avenue and in downtown Minneapolis. Through a combination of transit, road pricing, technology and telecommuting, project partners anticipate that commuters will experience more transportation choices, less traffic congestion and reduced commute times on some of Minnesota’s busiest roads.
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