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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Department of Transportation says it's encouraged by how many people are signing up to use the new electronic transponder system in the Express Lane. The transponder will allow single drivers to use the lane and they'll be charged based on traffic conditions and how long they stay in the lane.
To get more people to sign up, UDOT started by giving some transponders away for free.
"The day we opened we were going to give away 2,000. We reached that number in just a couple of hours so we extended another thousand and gave that away as well by about noon that first day," says UDOT spokesman Nile Easton.
Easton says at this point around 5,600 people are signed up for transponders and UDOT expects the number will keep growing.
UDOT says it doesn't have a cap on how many people can buy the transponders, which cost $8.75 each. Easton says UDOT will be able to regulate how many Express Pass holders use the HOV lane by adjusting the amount of the toll.
The Express Pass system will be turned on Aug. 23rd at 6 a.m.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
