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HOVs for SOVs
Wondering what will happen with the HOV lanes that will be added
to 35W under Excess? Here's a plan:
State OKs plan to try toll lane
published 11.06.03
online at http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4195311.html
by Laurie Blake
Star Tribune
Drivers willing to pay for the privilege will be able to join
carpoolers, buses and motorcycles in the relative sanity of the
express lanes along Interstate Hwy. 394 as soon as December 2004.
A welcome relief to frustrated commuters, Minnesota's first toll
lane is now a sure thing.
This means a solo commuter who wants a quick trip along the congested
freeway will be able to pay a fee electronically and drive on express
lanes that previously have been reserved for carpools, buses and
motorcycles. Those users will continue to travel free.
The cost: Tolls will vary as necessary, rising to as high as $3
to keep the lanes flowing. Who will be willing to pay?
Rich Kubista, who lives in Delano and commutes to work in Eagan:
If it saves time and the toll is not exorbitant, Kubista said he
may use it every evening on his trip home. If traffic is heavy,
"I would definitely look at that [toll lane] as my escape valve,"
Kubista said.
And Tim Huenemann of Plymouth, who commutes to downtown Minneapolis:
"I think it's a 'no-brainer' to at least try it out. Anything
that gives you less constraints on your business day is great."
But commuter Frank Zimmerman of Chanhassen isn't convinced.
Zimmerman, a Target Corp. employee, carpools to work in downtown
Minneapolis. He wants the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(MnDOT) to uphold its promise to keep the lane free-flowing for
carpools and buses. He said he doubts that tolls will correct a
problem that started with what he called a flawed freeway design.
Tolls may be the next logical step, Zimmerman said, "but I
don't think it's going to solve the congestion problem on I-394."
The state believes it will help.
As an incentive for commuters to ride the bus or form a carpool,
the special center lanes on I-394 have not been as widely used as
expected. Low traffic volume in the lanes has drawn increasing criticism
as congestion continues to grow in the adjoining regular lanes.
The purpose in opening the carpool lanes to toll payers, Lt. Gov.
Carol Molnau said in explaining the plan Wednesday, is to give drivers
a new alternative that will potentially ease congestion in the regular
lanes. Molnau, who also is the state's transportation commissioner,
announced the plan with Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Fast, reliable trips for buses and carpools, she said, will continue
to be a priority.
Details pending
Questions left unanswered involve: Exactly how the toll lane will
work, the toll costs, hours of operation and enforcement.
MnDOT has chosen Wilbur Smith Associates, a private firm, to open
and run the lanes, and the two plan to work out the specifics by
December.
To use the lanes, motorists will have to open a toll account. Tolls
will be paid electronically -- radio waves will transfer from a
small dashboard device to overhead readers positioned along the
route. MnDOT plans to call the dashboard device MnPass. Details
are not available on how, where or when the accounts will be open
to the public.
MnDOT will not hire new staff for this effort -- all that will
be handled by Wilbur Smith. The company will pay 25 percent of the
project's $8-to $10-million cost for the chance to showcase its
services in the growing toll industry.
How much Wilbur Smith will be paid is under negotiation. After
paying the company, remaining toll proceeds will go toward improvements
on I-394 that could include new park-and-ride lots and more bus
service.
Officers will patrol the lane in search of ticket violators. It
is not legal in Minnesota to take a photo of license plates to catch
toll violators, so officers will have new electronic equipment that
will allow them to catch a car if it passes without paying a toll,
officials said.
The Federal Highway Administration nixed proposals to open the
lanes to all traffic -- preferring to keep the lanes in use for
carpools and buses.
Research on such lanes in other states has shown that people of
all incomes use them. While the goal of the I-394 toll plan is to
better utilize the existing lanes, Pawlenty said he soon will announce
plans to allow a private company to build new toll roads on other
freeways. Construction costs would be repaid by the driver fees.
That, too, would be a first in Minnesota.
In addition to building new roads and bridges and expanding transit,
Pawlenty said: "We also need to be looking for new and creative
ways to address the problem" of traffic congestion in the metro
area. "In the spirit of preparing for the future, in the spirit
of trying new things . . . the idea we bring forward today is a
good one."
-- Laurie Blake is at lblake@startribune.com.
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