By Aaron Bolton
Murphy News Service

MnDot has suspended signing up new subscribers to its MnPass service because the program’s supplier has been unable to supply enough of the transponders the system uses.

The company that supplies MnDot with transponders, Telematics Wireless, was unable to produce enough transponders in time. “They haven’t produced enough to send us the order that we have,” Kevin Gutknecht MnDot’s communication director, said.

“It’s is important to note that this is not going to affect current transponder users and not going to affect the way the system operates,” he said.

Gutknecht said MnDot will begin taking subscriptions again in April. MnDot plans to make changes later this year with its suppliers to make sure such a shortage does not happen again.

“We’ll use different and more suppliers,” Gutknecht said.

The MnPass system has express lanes on interstate highways 35W and 394. Construction is under way to add an express lane between Little Canada Road and Maryland Avenue on Interstate 35E.

Aaron Bolton is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota. He also is Radio K’s music reporter and writes as a college contributor for The Current.