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651-366-4263
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395 John Ireland Blvd.
Mail Stop 150
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
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Interstate 35W MnPASS completion ushers in next generation road
Lanes through Crosstown area open Nov. 19
ST. PAUL, Minn. — When the MnPASS Express Lanes on Interstate 35W through the Crosstown area open at 6 a.m. on Nov. 19, the freeway morphs to a next generation road, demonstrating how transportation experts are maximizing existing roads and using technology to provide motorists with multi-modal choices.
“A completed MnPASS Express Lane on I-35W means all motorists will now experience less congestion on one of the busiest roads in Minnesota” said Nick Thompson, Policy Analysis, Research and Innovation director at the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Providing solo motorists the choice to pay to use the express lanes through the Crosstown area provides MnPASS users a fast, safe, reliable commute while also alleviating congestion in the general purpose lanes. In addition, Smart Lanes technology – electronic signs over each lane of traffic that provide motorists with real-time information – provides all motorists a safer, smoother commute.
Solo motorists who use I-35W between the southern suburbs and downtown Minneapolis will now have almost 16 miles of non-stop travel by paying a modest fee to access the MnPASS Express Lanes during peak travel periods. Ninety percent of all trips on MnPASS Express Lanes cost $2.50 or less. Carpoolers, motorcyclists and buses will continue to use the lanes for free.
By end of 2011, MnPASS will add two more miles on I-35W when new lanes open between Burnsville Parkway and Southcross Drive in Burnsville. In addition, a study released in September 2010 by Mn/DOT recommended several specific segments of the metro-area highway system as possible candidates for MnPASS, and I-35E in St. Paul emerged as the top corridor for expanding the system. The report also supported continued use of technology like Smart Lanes to manage traffic congestion.
Commuters can open a prepaid MnPASS account in less than 10 minutes online at www.mnpass.net or by calling the MnPASS Customer Service Center at 1-866-EZ-RIDE4 (1-866-397-4334). The MnPASS Welcome Kit will arrive in the mail with easy instructions for installing the transponder in the vehicle. New subscribers will receive $15 in free toll credits, which will be deposited into the user’s MnPASS account.
The $15 in free MnPASS toll credits promotion is good for new accounts opened through Dec. 31, 2010, 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 transponder will provide motorists’ access to the MnPASS Express Lanes on both I-35W and the existing lanes on I-394.
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