Highway toll collection authority eliminated, reallocation of certain user fee revenue provided, and money appropriated.
Summary
HF2948 would eliminate the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s authority to charge user fees or tolls on certain high-occupancy vehicle and dynamic shoulder lanes, while preserving existing exceptions for toll facilities and lanes established before September 1, 2007 and for added capacity lanes. The bill changes current law so the commissioner of transportation may not charge single-occupant vehicles for use of designated dynamic shoulder lanes or HOV lanes, and it removes the statutory framework that currently allows those fees to be collected and managed through special revenue accounts.
The bill also revises the rules for the I-35W dynamic shoulder/HOV lane corridor, limiting use of that lane to vehicles with more than one occupant, transit buses, and emergency vehicles, and eliminating the option for single-occupant vehicles to pay a fee to use it. It updates related definitions in the transit guideway statute so that shoulders, dynamic shoulder lanes, and priced lanes are not treated as separated rights-of-way for certain transit planning purposes. The bill takes effect in stages, with the tolling prohibition and lane-use changes effective July 1, 2025, and the repeal of the fee-account statutes effective June 30, 2025.
Impact
HF2948 would amend Minnesota Statutes sections 160.845, 160.93, and 473.4485, and repeal the fee-deposit and revenue-allocation provisions in section 160.93, subdivisions 2 and 2a. It would cancel uncommitted balances in existing HOV lane user fee accounts to the general fund, appropriate money back to the Department of Transportation for implementation costs such as fee-collection system obligations and signage, and then transfer the remaining amount to the trunk highway fund. In practical terms, the bill would end the state’s ability to operate priced HOV/dynamic shoulder lanes under the current statutory model and redirect any remaining associated revenues into the general transportation funding structure.
Sentiment
The bill text and available context suggest a policy direction favoring the elimination of highway tolling authority on these lanes and a return to non-tolled operation. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of debate or bipartisan support/opposition in the available materials. The overall tone of the bill is regulatory and fiscal rather than exploratory, indicating a clear legislative intent to stop user-fee collection and reallocate the funds already accumulated.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the policy choice between tolling/pricing lanes to manage congestion and fund transit improvements versus prohibiting such fees altogether. Supporters of the bill would be expected to favor ending tolls on public highways and removing what they may view as a user-fee burden on drivers, especially single-occupant motorists. Opponents would likely argue that the current fee structure helps manage traffic, supports corridor operations, and provides dedicated funding for transit and corridor improvements, particularly in the I-35W corridor and other HOV/dynamic shoulder lane projects.