Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Alternative Intersection and Road Design

New ways to get you around safely

arial view of a roundabout
Aerial view of a roundabout. Roundabouts reduce crashes and are installed at intersections that have a high crash rate or where more than two roads intersect.

Alternative intersection design

MnPASS Express Lanes

MnPASS Express Lanes help maintain traffic flow, reduce congestion and give drivers a safe, reliable commute when they pay an electronic fee.

Zipper merge

Zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in "zipper" fashion into the open lane. This method reduces differences in speeds between the two lanes, reduces the overall length of traffic backup by as much as 40 percent, and reduces congestion on freeway interchanges.