The Kansas Department of Transportation recently hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the state’s first express lanes on the U.S. 69 Express corridor.
[Above photo by Kansas DOT]
This $572 million design-build project, known as 69Express, included reconstruction of U.S. 69 in Overland Park; widening the highway with one northbound and one southbound express lane between 103rd and 151st Streets; and interchange improvements at U.S. 69/167th Street.
The agency said this express lane project was among the first selected for funding under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation or IKE program; a 10-year state-funded initiative to modernize and expand transportation infrastructure across Kansas.
More than 80,000 vehicles use the 69Express corridor each day, with traffic volume expecting to increase by more than 30 percent by 2050.
The express lanes – managed by Kansas DOT and its tolling partner, the Kansas Turnpike Authority – will allow the agency to manage congestion using tolls that vary based on traffic levels and time of day to keep express lane trips congestion-free. When drivers choose to pay the toll and move into the express lanes, traffic is then reduced in the non-tolled general-purpose lanes as well, the agency said.
“The launch of Kansas’ first express lanes is a huge win for infrastructure in our state,” noted Governor Laura Kelly (D) in a statement. “This project represents a forward-thinking approach to reducing congestion immediately while building a foundation for Johnson County’s future economic growth.’’
“The 69Express project is the result of successful collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners,” noted Calvin Reed, Kansas DOT secretary. “Together, we’re implementing express lanes as a sustainable congestion-management solution to provide drivers with reliable travel times today and as traffic grows in the future.”
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