I-394 MnPASS Technical Evaluation

Doug Sallman – Cambridge Systematics, Inc.Doug Sallman – Cambridge Systematics, Inc.

Overview• Objectives• Challenges • Approach • Findings• Lessons Learned

Objectives• Conduct an independent assessment of

the performance impacts resulting from the I-394 MnPASS deployment including:– Travel times/speeds– Vehicle and person throughput– Safety

• Investigate other issues including enforcement and revenue

Approach• Collect data representing a broad period

before and after to control for: – Traffic growth – Cyclical variations (day-of-week, time-of-year)– Weather conditions– Incident occurrence– Other external factors

• Compare performance from like periods with and without MnPASS to isolate any changes

Evaluation Challenges• MnPASS system itself is dynamic• Hours of operation change• Construction of auxiliary lane in the

westbound direction• Closure of I-494 to I-394 ramps• Record high fuel prices• Changes to transit routes and fares• Adjustment to pricing algorithm

Findings

Volume/Throughput• Regional automobile travel demand

has decreased compared to previous years, unrelated to MnPASS– Nearly 3% decrease in peak hour

volumes observed on other regional corridors

Volume/Throughput• In light of the regional changes…

– I-394 MnPASS lanes peak hour volumes increased 7 to 30%

– Total I-394 peak hour roadway volumes increased by up to 4%

– Volume changes on the fringes of MnPASS operational hours were less positive or even slightly lower

Vehicle Speeds• Despite increase in

volume, speeds in the MnPASS lane have not decreased

• Travel speeds in the general purpose lanes increased by 2 to 15 percent– The relative speed change

is greatest when conditions are most congested

Safety• Number of corridor crashes has decreased by 12

percent in the year following MnPASS deployment, compared with the previous years

400

450

500

550

600

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

Annual

Cra

shes

on I-3

94 Average 2003-05 =560

Enforcement• Over 2,300 stops

were made by enforcement officers on the I-394 corridor in the first year for HOV or double white line crossing violations

HOV Violation RatesLocation Pre-

MnPASSWith

MnPASS

I-394 Reversible Section

7% 4%

I-394 Diamond Lane Section

20% 9%

I-35W HOV Control Section

23% 33%*

* I-35W HOV control corridor not equipped with MnPASS

Fee Revenue16%

Toll Revenue84%

Use and Revenue• Average toll paid is

now above $1• Total revenue is

over $2 million (Opening to July 15, 2006 )

• Toll revenue approximately $4,000 per week

Evaluation Lessons Learned

+ Evaluation team established early

+ Robust automated data collection system

+ Long-time horizon

+ Use of control corridor to assess regional changes

- Occupancy data collection

More info:

http://www.mnpass.org/systemstudy.html

dsallman@camsys.com