Minnesota moving steadily toward more tolls/pricing

Minnesota is moving cautiously toward more road pricing following good results from price-managed lanes on I-394 and I-35W, radials to the west and south of Minneapolis. The lanes generically called HOT lanes provide free travel for carpools and transit vehicles and admit others for a toll that varies according to available surplus capacity. They are marketed under the brandname MnPass and use ASTMv6 active transponders with  a Raytheon supplied toll system.

Governor Tim Pawlenty recently directed MnDOT to:

- do a "next stage" MnPass study

- pursue more P3s and innovative finance

- work on improvements to I-94 between Minneapolis and St Paul

- focus on low cost/high benefit congestion relief and safety improvements

Lee Munnich of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota who has been consulting to MnDOT on the I-394 HOT lanes says they have gained in public support since they were opened in May 2005, and now have a real political constituency in their favor.

Asked "What do you think of allowing single drivers to use the carpool lanes by paying a toll?" support went from 60% "good idea' 30% 'bad idea' before they opened to 65%/22% in 2006.

By contrast I-394 as an HOV facility was previously most unpopular, being subject to harsh criticism for the wastefulness of "empty" HOV lanes.

The HOT lanes or MnPass Express lanes as they are called locally took an existing 8 miles (13km) of lefthand HOV lanes in a 2x3 lane format (Wayzata to MN100) and nearer the downtown 3 miles (5km) of barrier separated reversible 2-lane HOV (MN100 to I-94 in downtown.) Toll systems were added and in the 8 mile stretch of concurrent lanes five and six entry/exit zones were defined each direction, the intermediate stretches double white striped for a No-Cross buffer.

Dynamic pricing is used to manage traffic volumes and prevent overloading. The aim is to maintain traffic speeds at around 55mph (89km/hr). Changeable message signs indicate the tolls ahead of motorists' decision point about using the managed lanes or staying in the general purpose lanes.

see schematic:

http://www.mnpass.org/pdfs/394mnpass-schematic.pdf

Munnich says no one is calling for an end to price managed lanes in the area. And if they did, he thinks there would be an uproar from users. His surveys show significant numbers saying the pricing has reduced congestion and improved travel times. They now have a solid following of paying users.

Traffic volumes have increased about a third in the managed lanes without any degradation of service. Total peakhour roadway volumes are up 5%, and congestion is down thanks to price management.

Violations as high as 24% as under the prior HOV regime are now in the range 4 to 9%. Safety is improved, crashes being 12% lower than under HOV.

A majority of users say the tolls are set about right given the time savings they get (see pie chart nearby).

The priced lanes are used by all income groups but usage - both carpooling and single driver use - rises with income (see barchart nearby.)

Public attitudes:

http://www.mnpass.org/pdfs/MnPassFinalReport%2027NOV06.pdf

A Phase 2 study of I-394 looks at how to provide for traffic in both directions on the inner 3 mile (5km) segment and other operational improvements, mainly at interchanges and ramps. The barrier separated segment would go from 2 to 3 lanes and a movable barrier would provide 2-lanes peak direction and 1-lane off-peak direction.

Phase 2 plan:

http://www.mnpass.org/pdfs/MnPASS%20Phase%20II%20Final%20Report.pdf

Second price managed lanes on I-35W off to slower start

I-35W the main radial south of Minneapolis is getting price managed or HOT lanes too. Opening in bits and pieces from Sept 28, I-35MnPass is off to a slow start. Project manager at MnDOT Ken Buckeye says partial openings are "a great way to open" because they allow systems to be deployed and adjusted under less stress than the all-at-once opening they did on I-394.

I-35W MnPass will be 14 miles (23km) of lefthand lane in each direction, obtained by a mix of HOV conversion and taking & improving lefthand shoulder lane. A central segment where I-35W jogs E-W and is co-signed with MN62 is called the Crosstown Expressway. This segment won't be open until the fall of 2010.

Presently operating in two discontinuous segments I-35W MnPass isn't yet providing full benefits.

schematic map of I-35W HOTLs:

http://www.mnpass.org/pdfs/35W%20Map.pdf

I-94 Minneapolis to StPaul next

Next priced lanes seem likely to be on I-94 the major freeway east out of downtown Minneapolis linking it the 9 miles (15km) to its twin StPaul. And there's a possible extension some miles further east out of StPaul.

Major complication is lefthand ramps at a key interchange with MN280 not far east of the Mississippi R.

MN77

A fourth candidate for study for priced lanes is MN77 Cedar Av Expressway which goes by the western boundary of the Minneapolis St Paul International Airpport and forms something of a southern radial.

Network study

A full network study for priced lanes has been requested by the Governor. That is likely to be an expansion of a Metropolitan Highway System Investment Study launched last summer by the twin cities area metropolitan council  under a contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-11-05