The Kansas Turnpike Authority hopes to drive traveler demand to cashless tolling, and a lot of infrastructure work is ahead up and down the highway this year — including parts of the KVOE listening area.
Chief Executive Officer Steve Hewitt tells KVOE News highway administration has been proactive in moving forward despite COVID. He says cashless tolling has been a priority for the Turnpike Authority for several years.
The cashless operation relies on gantries, overhead bridge-like structures that have special equipment to read license plates and then bill drivers for their trips. Several gantries could be installed near Emporia this year, and Hewitt says surface and bridge improvements — including bridge raising — will be connected to the gantry work. Hewitt also says the gantry installation may happen in phases, but cashless tolling will “go live” up and down the highway at the same time in 2024.
Hewitt says the move towards cashless tolling means several traditional interchanges, including the one at Emporia, may well be reconfigured at some point in time.
Hewitt expects interchange work to happen “soon after” cashless tolling comes on board as a phased approach.
Hewitt says cashless tolling and upcoming interchange redesigns have become priorities because of driver safety and convenience as well as lower costs to the Turnpike Authority. KTAG customers won’t see any difference in their payment procedures when cashless tolling begins. Cash payers will be billed, and cash tolls will be slightly higher than tolls for KTAG customers.
