General Information,
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1. What is the speed limit?
2. Where can I get on Northwest Parkway?
3. Are motorcycles allowed on Northwest Parkway?
4. Are bicycles allowed on Northwest Parkway?
5. Is there anything special that I have to do if I want to pull a trailer on the Northwest Parkway?
6. What is the difference between the Northwest Parkway and E470?
7. Why should I have to pay tolls to drive on your road when I pay my taxes?
8. What do you do with the money that you collect from tolls?
9. Where are the Northwest Parkway offices located, what are your hours, and how can I contact you?
10. Can I use the “emergency turnarounds” on the toll road?
Toll Information
11. What are your toll rates?
12. What if I get on the toll road by mistake? Do I still have to pay the tolls?
13. What if I don’t have any money with me or if I don’t have the right change?
14. I hardly ever carry cash with me. Can I pay for my tolls with a credit or debit card?
15. I paid my toll, but as I drove away I saw a flash. I think a picture was taken of my vehicle. Am I going to get a ticket?
EXpressToll® Account Information
16. Can I move my EXpressToll® transponder from vehicle to vehicle?
17. I am an EXpressToll® customer. I sold my car and purchased a new vehicle. Do I need to report the change of vehicles? Also, may I use the transponder that was in my old car in the new one?
18. Why don’t I hear a beep from my EXpressToll® transponder like on E470?
19. Why does my transponder beep at the Denver International Airport?
Violation Information
20. I was on your road and went through the EXpress Lane by mistake. How can I avoid a big fine?
21. Why did I get a violation notice in the mail?
1. What is the speed limit?
The speed limit on the main road is 70 mph. On the entrance and exit ramps to the toll road, where we have tolling locations, the speed limit is 35 mph.
2. Where can I get on Northwest Parkway?
You can get on Northwest Parkway from several locations. If you are traveling on I-25, take Exit 228 toward Broomfield. From Highway 36 (the Boulder Turnpike), take the Storage Tech Drive or Interlocken Loop Exit. From Highway 287, you can enter Northwest Parkway in either a westbound or eastbound direction at Dillon Road. You can also access either eastbound or westbound Northwest Parkway from Sheridan Parkway, just east of Lowell Boulevard.
3. Are motorcycles allowed on Northwest Parkway?
Yes. EXpressToll® customers who have motorcycles should add their motorcycles to their accounts. Unless the motorcycle is listed and receives its own transponder, the customer risks being mistakenly identified as a violator on the road (see also Questions 16 and 21).
Customers of the road who do not have an EXpressToll® account are also welcome to drive their motorcycles on Northwest Parkway. Motorcycles are treated as any other 2 axle vehicle. Be sure to stop at the toll booths to make your cash payments.
4. Are bicycles allowed on Northwest Parkway?
No. The high speeds on Northwest Parkway make it an unsafe environment for bicycles.
5. Is there anything special that I have to do if I want to pull a trailer on the Northwest Parkway?
If you are an EXpressToll® customer, you must call EXpressToll® Customer Service at 303-537-3470 to add the license plate number (LPN) of the trailer to your account. Since the trailer will be towed by a vehicle that is listed on your account and has a transponder in it, no separate transponder will need to be issued for the trailer. Its LPN, however, does need to be listed on your account. Rather than calling EXpressToll®, you may elect to go to www.expresstoll.com to add the trailer and its LPN to your account. Once the trailer LPN is listed on the account, you need not do anything else. The correct toll amount will automatically be deducted from your account.
Tolls at our Main Line Toll Plaza are determined by the number of axles. Effective April 9, 2008, the toll for a 2 axle vehicle is $2.50, and each additional axle is $2.50. The toll, therefore, for a 2 axle vehicle towing a singe axle trailer is $5.00. Tolls at our ramp locations are $.50 regardless of the number of axles. Of course, customers of Northwest Parkway who do not have EXpressToll® accounts should always be prepared to pay their tolls by cash at the toll booths.
6. What is the difference between the Northwest Parkway and E470?
The Northwest Parkway and E470 are two entirely separate toll roads, joined together at I-25, north of Denver. Both Northwest Parkway and E470 use the EXpressToll® prepaid pass system. The same EXpressToll® transponders may be used on Northwest Parkway and on E470, as well as the HOV Lanes on I-25. If, however, you have violations on both Northwest Parkway and on E470, those must be dealt with separately, by calling both companies. E470 is the toll road that extends from I-25 in the south at approximately Lincoln Avenue to I-25 in the north. E470 also administers violations on the I-25/Highway 36 HOV Lanes. Northwest Parkway extends from I-25 in the north to Highway 36 (the Boulder Turnpike).
7. Why should I have to pay tolls to drive on your road when I pay my taxes?
Northwest Parkway is a private road. Not a penny of federal or state tax dollars went into building the road, or goes into maintaining and improving the road.
8. What do you do with the money that you collect from tolls?
The toll revenue collected goes in large part toward repaying the investors for the initial costs of road construction, as well as the costs of day-to-day operations, maintenance, and future improvements (see also Question 7).
9. Where are the Northwest Parkway offices located, what are your hours, and how can I contact you?
Our offices are adjacent to the westbound cash lanes of the toll road. The west driveway to our building is just beyond the toll booths in the westbound lanes. The east driveway is off Lowell Boulevard, approximately 2 miles north of the intersection of 144th and Lowell Blvd, just north of the Lowell Bridge which extends over Northwest Parkway. Our address is 3701 Northwest Parkway, Broomfield, CO 80023. Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You may reach us by telephone at (303) 533-1200, by fax at (303) 404-3049, or email us at info@nwpky.com.
10. Can I use the “emergency turnarounds” on the toll road?
No. The turnarounds are intended and authorized for use by emergency vehicles only. It is extremely dangerous for other drivers to use these turnarounds, and their use is strictly prohibited.
Toll Information
11. What are your toll rates?
Effective April 9, 2008, when you travel the full length of the road, you pay $2.50* at the Main Line Toll Plaza, which is located just west of Lowell Boulevard. If you only travel the U.S. Highway 287 to Boulder Turnpike portion, you pay $.50 when you enter the road at Highway 287 westbound, or when you exit at Highway 287 eastbound. Likewise, you will pay $.50 if you exit Northwest Parkway at Sheridan Parkway going westbound, or if you enter the toll road from Sheridan Parkway traveling eastbound.
*Note: $2.50 is the toll for 2 axle vehicles at the Main Line Toll Plaza. The toll is $2.50 more for each additional axle. For a trip calculator go to www.expresstoll.com and click on the Toll Calculator link.
12. What if I get on the toll road by mistake? Do I still have to pay the tolls?
Yes. Everyone who travels on the toll road must pay the tolls that are due. We have installed signage well in advance of entering the tollway to indicate to drivers that they are approaching a toll road. There are opportunities after the signage to avoid taking the toll road. If, however, you miss seeing the signs and end up on the toll road by mistake, you are still required to pay the tolls. If you do not have sufficient funds with you, or do not have correct change, we have a procedure available by which you may pay the toll and an administrative fee, and avoid the imposition of larger fees or penalties (see also Question 13).
13. What if I don’t have any money with me or if I don’t have the right change?
At each tolling location, there are forms available for you to take if you do not have the proper payment for the toll. Please note that the unmanned exit and entrance ramp locations require $.50, in exact change. You may complete the form and mail it to us, along with the toll due and an administrative fee, within 2 business days. You may choose to mail cash or check/money order payable to Northwest Parkway. To avoid additional penalties, be certain that your payment is postmarked within 2 business days. If you failed to pick-up a form, you may download one from our website, at www.nwpky.com, and click on Violations, then on Insufficient Funds Payments. Alternatively, within 2 business days, you may pay the toll plus the administrative fee online at our website (see also Question 14).
14. I hardly ever carry cash with me. Can I pay for my tolls with a credit or debit card at the toll booth?
No, not at this time. We are looking at the possibility of accepting plastic cards at the toll booths in the future. However, if you do not have sufficient funds or the correct change with you, you may pay the missed toll plus an administrative fee online through our website at www.nwpky.com. Click on Violations and then on Insufficient Funds Payments (see also Question 13).
15. I paid my toll, but as I drove away I saw a flash. I think a picture was taken of my vehicle. Am I going to get a ticket?
A picture is taken of every vehicle. When the system determines that the toll was paid in full, the image is discarded. As long as you paid your toll in full and received a green light to proceed through the tolling area, the picture of your vehicle will be discarded, and you will not receive a violation notice.
If you paid your full $.50 toll at a ramp location but the system failed to give you a green light to proceed, please call us as soon as possible at 303-533-1200 to report the situation. Alternatively, you may go to our website at www.nwpky.com, click on Paid No Green under the Violations tab, and complete the short form. We will verify the information and insure that you do not receive a violation notice.
EXpressToll® Account Information
16. Can I move my EXpressToll® transponder from vehicle to vehicle?
No. An EXpressToll® transponder is assigned to a specific vehicle/license plate number (LPN). If, for any reason, a transponder fails to read properly when going through a toll collection point, the back-up is the vehicle LPN. Our system will take a picture of the LPN and then search through the database to find a match listed on an active EXpressToll® account. If no match for the LPN is found, the system classifies the transaction as a violation. Therefore, customers should obtain a transponder for each vehicle that they will drive on the toll road. There is no charge for receiving additional transponders. All transponders listed on an account will draw from the same account balance.
17. I am an EXpressToll® customer. I sold my car and purchased a new vehicle. Do I need to report the change of vehicles? Also, may I use the transponder that was in my old car in the new one?
Yes, to both questions. It is important that you keep your EXpressToll® account updated with current vehicle/LPN information. If your account is not updated and your transponder fails to properly read as you go through a tolling area, you run the risk of mistakenly being identified as a violator. You may update your account by calling EXpressToll® Customer Service at 303-537-3470, or you may update the account through the website, at www.expresstoll.com.
18. Why don’t I hear a beep from my EXpressToll® transponder like on E470?
Northwest Parkway has a different system than E470. When you go through our EXpressToll® lanes, the transponder will not beep. Eventually, transponders will not beep on Northwest Parkway or E470. This will help to extend the battery life of the transponders. Depending upon use, transponder batteries should last several years. Newer model transponders are equipped with replaceable batteries. All older model transponders will be replaced, when their batteries die, with the newer model.
19. Why does my transponder beep at the Denver International Airport?
DIA has installed an airport access control system for taxis, buses, and limousines that uses the same frequency and communications protocol as the EXpressToll® system. The older versions of transponders that have the “beep” feature will beep, but please be assured your EXpressToll® account is not being charged a toll at the airport.
Violation Information
20. I was on your road and went through the EXpress Lane by mistake. How can I avoid a big fine?
You may make your toll payment online, or mail it to us by cash or check/money order payable to Northwest Parkway. Please note that if you choose to mail cash, Northwest Parkway is not responsible for cash lost or stolen in the mail. If you mail your payment, please include a note with the license plate number (LPN) of the car you were driving, your name, address, and telephone number, along with the location where you were on the toll road. Within 2 business days of the occurrence, you will only be required to pay a $.50 administrative fee in addition to the amount of the missed toll. Be certain to include your LPN in your note, because that is how we match your payment with the violation in our system. In lieu of including a note, you may download a form from our website. Just go to www.nwpky.com, click on Violations, and then Insufficient Funds Payments to download the form. To make your toll and administrative fee payment online, just visit the same website location and follow the instructions for online payments.
21. Why did I get a violation notice in the mail?
If you are an EXpressToll® customer and you received a violation notice from Northwest Parkway, your EXpressToll® account probably just needs to be updated. For example, the vehicle/license plate number for which you received the notice may not be listed properly on the account. Alternatively, the credit card that you set-up to back your account may have expired and EXpressToll® just needs to get current card information from you. If you are a customer and received a notice, first call EXpressToll® Customer Service at 303-537-3470 to be certain that all information listed on your account is correct. After speaking with Customer Service, contact Northwest Parkway Violations Department at 303-926-2516.
If you do not have an EXpressToll® account and you received a violation notice, it is because 1) our system did not register a proper toll payment when you traveled through a tolling location, and 2) we show no record of your having made payment of the toll within the 2 business days allowed. You may pay the total due for the violation through the mail, by check, money order, or credit card, by detaching the bottom portion of the notice and sending it with your payment to our offices at the address shown within 20 days of your receipt of the notice. Alternatively, you may visit our secure website at www.nwpky.com, click on Violations, then click on Violation Payment and pay online by credit card or by electronic check. If you have any questions regarding the violation, you may call our Violation Processing Department at 303-926-2516.
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