Issue #6   |   June 2021

State Leaders Approve Express Toll Lanes for Use on U.S. 69

Express toll lanes (ETLS) as an option for improving U.S. 69 between 151st and 103rd Streets have received the final required approval, enabling them to be deployed on what is the busiest four-lane highway segment in Kansas.  The State Finance Council (SFC) approved use of express toll lanes at its June 24 meeting by an 8-0 vote. Previously, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) board voted 5-0 to approve the KDOT-Overland Park joint proposal for express toll lanes on U.S 69. The Overland Park City Council voted 10-2 June 21 in support of the improvement strategy.  “The Overland Park City Council, Kansas Turnpike Authority and State Finance Council decisions set direction for how KDOT will proceed with the next phases of the U.S. 69 Expansion and Modernization Project,” said KDOT Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas.   The 2019 Legislation allowing express toll lanes to be used in certain specific circumstances required a local community to partner with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) in submitting a tolling proposal for review and approval by the KTA and the SFC. The KTA is the state’s toll agency. The SFC is a group comprised of the Governor and legislative leaders and created by statute to consider needed actions when the legislature is not in session and/or when specific legislation calls upon approval of the SFC for certain actions to occur.  The action by the SFC is part of a process that now moves to completing an environmental assessment. The assessment, which has been underway since the project began in October 2020, is expected to be complete in late 2021. A noise study being conducted this summer as part of the environmental assessment will determine whether noise levels specific to the express toll lanes configuration meet or exceed federal and state guidelines. Its results, along with other project developments, will be presented at a public meeting scheduled for this fall.

KDOT to Continue to Engage the Public on ETLs

Even with the SFC action, KDOT’s community engagement efforts will continue throughout the life of the project. Over the next year, Overland Park residents will have additional opportunities to participate in public meetings about the project – one when the environmental assessment is complete in October of 2021; one in February 2022 about right-of-way acquisitions; and one in May 2022 prior to the start of construction. KDOT will also turn to educating the public on what to expect and how to use ETLs between now and the project opening projected for 2025.    Although more than three-fourths (78%) of 1,257 residents surveyed in May indicated they know what ETLs are based on their experiences in other states, every state’s system can differ. That’s why KDOT and the project team will use a wide range of tools to make sure Kansas travelers are confident and comfortable while using U.S. 69 ETLs. These will include alerts, how-tos and other information shared via the project website, electronic newsletter, social media, public meetings and presentations and other mechanisms.

In the meantime, you can learn more about ETLs by staying up to date with developments via the Project’s social media outlets - Facebook or Twitter - or by exploring these links to already-distributed ETL background information available through the Project website or YouTube channel:

Express Toll Lanes How Express Toll Lanes Work FAQs How Express Toll Lanes Could Help Manage Congestion  Do Express Toll Lanes Disadvantage Some People?  U.S. 69 Express Toll Lanes - Managing Congestion Long Term  69 Express: How to Navigate Express Toll Lanes Making Sure Express Toll Lanes Benefit All Travelers What Tolling Is... and Isn’t

Traffic Projection Update

New traffic volume projections have been released by the 69Express Project Team that forecast even higher traffic volumes and impacts on U.S. 69 in the future.  An earlier study of U.S. 69 improvement needs has estimated that future congestion in the U.S. 69 corridor would mean that travel times from one end of the corridor to the other would triple by 2040.

But using new data and methodologies, traffic findings from a Highway Capacity Software (HCS) analysis the Project Team conducted shows that traffic demands on U.S. 69 through 2050 will actually be much greater.

As shown, future no-build travel times during peak AM traffic could reach 80-90 minutes and 90-100 minutes for northbound and southbound traffic, respectively, based on anticipated travel patterns and population and development growth in southern Johnson County.

Visit www.69express.org to learn more about the U.S. 69 Corridor Modernization and Expansion Project. 

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