Skip to main content

Minnesota DOT upgrades MnPass toll technology

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is upgrading its high occupancy vehicle express lane equipment to enhance access to the lanes and to prepare for interoperability requirements that go into effect in October 2015. The Minnesota MnPASS system that provides a congestion-free travel option during peak-drive times on highways with high levels of congestion. MnPASS Express Lanes give all commuters a reliable travel choice that saves them time, increases a highway’s capacity to move more peop
March 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 2103 Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is upgrading its high occupancy vehicle express lane equipment to enhance access to the lanes and to prepare for interoperability requirements that go into effect in October 2015.

The Minnesota MnPASS system that provides a congestion-free travel option during peak-drive times on highways with high levels of congestion. MnPASS Express Lanes give all commuters a reliable travel choice that saves them time, increases a highway’s capacity to move more people through a corridor and allows faster, more reliable public bus service.

After more than ten years, MnDOT  is phasing out its existing ASTMv6 radio frequency  identification (RFID) toll tags and implementing 139 TransCore’s battery-free, eGo Plus sticker tags and new eGo Plus switchable tags that can switch from single to high occupancy vehicle (HOV 2+) mode. MnDOT has replaced the older toll tag readers with the multi-protocol Encompass 6 reader. The new readers support future interoperability by being able to read a broader range of tags used in other regions.

Related Content

  • April 25, 2013
    Upgrading Turkey's tolling system
    A programme modernising road tolling equipment on Turkey’s national highway network has resulted in what is arguably Europe’s most advanced toll system, reports Jon Masters. Turkey has introduced a new system of technology for charging for use of its 2000km national highway network, heralded as the first full-scale use of passive RFID tags for electronic open road tolling in Europe. The new ‘Fast Passing System’ (HGS) is an upgrade of Turkey’s existing Automatic Passing System (OGS) technology, which uses
  • January 30, 2012
    IntelliDrive and HOT lanes - the next generation?
    Janet Banner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and Christopher Hill, Mixon Hill, Inc., outline efforts to explore the use of IntelliDrive technologies in HOT lane applications. On 21 October last year more than 100 transportation professionals came together for a workshop, either in person or via a webinar, to discuss the potential role of IntelliDriveSM technologies in enhancing the operations of High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The discussions focused on a White Paper, commissioned by the Metropoli
  • July 9, 2015
    TransCore introduces V2I solution for US toll interoperability
    TransCore has unveiled new technology that will provide motorists with access to any toll road throughout the US, eliminating the need for a toll tag on the windshield. TransCore’s Universal Toll Module (UTM) multi-protocol toll tag is designed to be integrated into the vehicle manufacturing process rather than an after-market application. Because the UTM functions on all US toll roads, motorists will no longer need to cover their windshields with various types of toll tags for different regions of t
  • April 12, 2013
    Active traffic management - challenges and benefits
    Minnesota DoT has built one of the most intensive Active Traffic Management (ATM) systems on the road today. Like many ITS deployments, the state has gained benefits but also faces many challenges, as Pete Goldin reports. Smart Lanes is the brand name of Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDoT) ATM system on I-35W in the Twin Cities Metro Area. The original system covered 16 miles of I-35W south of Minneapolis starting in 2009, and was extended by two miles in 2011. Additional ATM equipment was inst