If you travel back and forth to the cities, like I do a lot, you have no doubt sometimes during the back ups, wanted to use the MnPass lanes to avoid traffic because they are moving faster. Now using the lanes when the signs say open or outside of the hours they are reserved for vehicles that meet the requirements, is in most cases ok. The requirements to use the lane for free are to be a bus or a motorcycle or to have a vehicle with two or more occupants or if you do not meet those requirements  you have to get a MnPass transponder to pay for your use of the lane.

You preload the transponder with a dollar amount and then depending upon the amount of traffic, anywhere from 25 cents to $8.00 could be deducted.

MnDot, says about 7% of the people that use the lanes are using the lanes illegally. Hence the State Patrol Crackdown which is being funded by MnDot. The program will cost 2.6 million dollars to dedicate 6 officers for two years to enforce 35W, 35E, and I-394.

Remember that 25 cent to $8.00 charge I told you about, if you get caught using the lane illegally it could cost you $120-$200 depending on county issuing the ticket and court costs.

MnPass subscribers are up to 30,000 this year up from 26,000 last year. To sign up check out the MnPass website.

Those patrols are underway, so be careful out there.

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