WICHITA, Kansas, October 26, 2017 — Several construction projects have recently been completed to increase safety and improve the customer experience on the Kansas Turnpike. A number of the identified projects facilitate movement of freight, which is important because more than 12 percent of Turnpike transactions are by commercial drivers.
- KTA has expanded compatibility efforts with various toll tags since 2014, including commercial tags PrePass Plus and BestPass.
- Acceleration/deceleration ramps were lengthened at the Towanda service area, the south El Dorado interchange and the south Topeka interchange. In 2018, construction will lengthen ramps at the Matfield Green service area.
- Truck parking capacity was increased from 27 to 65 spots at the Towanda Service Area.
- More than 50 bridges will be raised in the next 10 years. Vertical clearance of 11 bridges crossing over the Turnpike from Wichita to the Oklahoma border have been increased to a minimum of 15’9” to accommodate commercial traffic with larger loads. An additional 11 bridges will be raised between Emporia and Topeka by the end of 2018.
- The conversion of Eastern Terminal, East Topeka and Southern Terminal toll plazas will allow commercial traffic with compatible tags to keep moving through the tolling area at highway-speeds, minimizing costs associated with stopping. Eastern Terminal is scheduled to be completed in 2017 with East Topeka and Southern Terminal scheduled for 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Commercial travelers can learn more about these improvements online at www.ksturnpike.com and by watching KTA’s latest commercial traffic video at http://bit.ly/2yL2b3A .
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About KTA:
For more than 60 years, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) maintains 236 miles of user-fee supported roadway from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City. KTA doesn’t receive state or federal tax funds. Instead, toll revenue pays for preservation and modernization of the Turnpike system. With the current long-term plan, KTA is investing $1.2 billion in over 40 projects. KTA’s mission is to provide safe, economical, high-quality transportation service to its customers.
For more information, contact:
Jeri Biehler, Communications Manager