Minnesota’s Congestion Pricing Program

Road User Charging ConferenceRoad User Charging ConferenceJanuary, 2009January, 2009

By Bernie ArseneauBy Bernie ArseneauMinnesota (USA) Department of Minnesota (USA) Department of

TransportationTransportation

Congestion Pricing In Minnesota

• Opened 11 mile High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane on I-394 in 2005

• Opening new 16 mile HOT lane in two phases on I-35W in 2009 and 2010 on

• Congestion pricing brand name:

MnPASS

Our First HOT lane on I-394

• 11 mile corridor 3 mile barrier separated reversible section 8 mile diamond lane section

• 5 EB and 6 WB access points in diamond lane section

• Access in diamond lane controlled through signing and striping

• Carpools, transit and motorcycles free– No transponders for Carpools

• Fully electronic & dynamically priced

Diamond Lane Design

Long Path Toward a HOT Lane

• Old Highway 12 Converted to Interstate• Rancorous debate on conversion to I-394• Construction started in 1982…,Opened in 1992

– Peak period HOV (diamond lane)– Dedicated 3 mile HOV reversible section

• Suffered from “Empty Lane Syndrome”• 2002 HOV lane study

– Should it HOV lane become General Purpose Lane?• 2003 HOV to HOT conversion legislation• 2003 Awarded design/build/operate contract• 2005 MnPASS HOT Lane successfully opens

I-394 MnPASS Project Goals

1. Improve I-394 efficiency 2. Maintain free flow

speeds for transit and carpoolers

3. Use excess revenues to improve highway and transit in corridor

4. Employ new technologies for pricing and enforcement

MnPASS Innovations• First Toll Road in Minnesota• Public-Private Partnership for HOT lanes• Minnesota’s first self funded transportation project• Tolling on lanes directly adjacent to non-barrier

separated lanes with multiple access points• Full dynamic pricing on multiple consecutive

roadway segments• Technology applications assist in enforcement,

read/write transponders and enforcement readers

Public Involvement was Key

• Community Task Force – Advise Commissioner of Transportation on:

• Hours of Operation • Transponder• Safety and Enforcement • Toll Rates• Dynamic Message Signs • Public Outreach• Expected Revenues• Project Evaluation• Type of Vehicles Allowed• Access Points/Traffic Operations

• Outreach and education

Tolled Trips

Tolled trips(Year 1)

May ‘05 - April ‘06

(Year 2)

May ‘06-

April ‘07

(Year 3)

May ‘07-

April ‘08

Tolled Trips874,154 908,899

(3.9% growth)

942,348(3.6% growth)

Tolls Collected

$575,499 $1,057,334 $1,083,098

Average Toll $0.65 $1.16 $1.15

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

April 1

1th

May

2nd

May

16t

h

June

6th

June

27t

h

July

18th

Aug 8

th

Aug 2

9th

Sept 1

9th

Oct 1

0th

Oct 3

1st

Nov 2

1st

Dec 1

2th

Jan

2nd

Jan

30th

Feb

20th

Mar

13t

h

Concept Adoption(transponder leases)

Opening Day

9,441

Today:11,912 ActiveTransponders

MnPASS Users Satisfied• 95% satisfaction with

all electronic tolling

• 85% satisfaction with traffic speed in lane

• 76% satisfaction with dynamic pricing

• 66% satisfaction with safety of merging

Establishing the Toll Price

• Min: $0.25 Max $8,00• Price based on HOT lane traffic conditions

only• Data from sensors in lane every ½ mi• Price updated every 3 minutes• Price is set off customizable rate tables

– Existing Price, Level of Service, and Rate of Change determine New Price

• Price based on worst traffic density point downstream of entrance

• Pricing during set hours only (i.e. not 24x7)

Safety ImprovesAnnual Crashes on I-394

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Year

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Before Opening After Opening

Corridor Conditions Improve

• I-394 MnPASS lanes peak hour volumes increased 9 to 33%

• Total I-394 peak hour roadway volumes increased by up to 5%

• 98% of time speeds above 50 mph

• Travel speeds in the general purpose lanes increased by 2 to 15 percent

• Transit ridership and carpools levels increase

MnPASS Enforcement Strategy

Goal: Violation rate <10%1. Convert violators to paying customers

2. Measure compliance, target problems

3. Be present

4. Provide technology to enforce

Results: Violation rates are <10%

Technology Provided to Enforce MnPASS

I-394 Conclusions

• Important to get the project right

• HOV/HOT options offer CHOICE

• Public acceptance is high

• Makes better use of HOV lanes

• GP lanes also work better

• Benefits Transit and Carpools

• Success helped create the next opportunity

I-35W MnPASS Express Lane

Funded by US DOT’s UPA Initiative, includes:– Conversion of existing

HOV to HOT (10 mi)– Construction of new HOT

lane (4 miles)– Conversion of shoulder to

dynamic PDSL lane (2 miles)– Extension of HOT lane (2 miles)

PDSL/Managed Lanes: Driver Views

PDSL : Closed

PDSL : Open

Comparison of MnPASS Corridors

I-394 I-35WLength 11 miles 16 miles

O-D

Pattern

Suburb to CBD Suburb to Suburb & Suburb to CBD

ADT 143,000 Max 204,000 Max

Transit 13,451 riders/day 11,821 riders/day

HOT design

8 miles open

3 miles barrier

14 miles –open

2 miles shoulder

“Managed corridor”

Access 75% closed 75% open

Comparison MnPASS Corridors (cont.)

I-394 I-35W

Enforcement 3 agencies

Adequate shoulders

1 agency

Limited shoulders

Violation Rate 30%+ (before)

<10% (after)

50%+ (before)

10% (goal for after)

Cost $10 M $3.5 M + TBD

Toll ranges Min: $0.25/Max: $8 Min: $0.25 Max: $8

Bottleneck

Enhancements

Add GP capacity after

Add GP capacity before

Controversy Lots Little

What’s Next for MN Congestion Pricing?

• By 2010 all existing HOV lanes converted to HOT• Seeking MnPASS expansion opportunities under

several design concepts:– 2 mile extension of I-35W HOT lane in 2011– Studying managed/priced shoulder lanes on

I-94 for 2010+ deployment– Development of MnPASS lane using movable barrier

• Concept developed, in modeling study now

– More dynamic shoulders under study

Questions and More Information

Visit

www.mnpass.org

Or

www.dot.state.mn.us/upaor Contact:

nick.thompson@dot.state.mn.us