Construction season officially begins next week for the Kansas Turnpike Authority.
The agency is bustling with planned projects, including several in the KVOE listening area. Two are directly connected to the agency’s push towards cashless tolling:
*Cashless toll zone construction will take place near mile marker 123, four miles southwest of the Emporia tollgate
*Bridge raising is planned on nine bridges from just south of the Emporia service area, five miles northeast of the Emporia gate, to 35 miles northeast of the Emporia gate
Others include:
*Pavement repair from mile markers 140-143, or 13-16 miles northeast of the Emporia gate
*Bridge painting on four bridges between the Emporia gate and Matfield Green service area, with bridge painting on two others from 1-11 miles northeast of the Admire-Council Grove exit
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. CEO Steve 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. Details are being developed.
Meanwhile, the Turnpike Authority has chosen the vendor for its new roadside toll collection program as the cashless process continues. TransCore, based out of Nashville, Tennessee, will provide equipment and related services allowing the Turnpike Authority to collect tolls, either through compatible transponders or license plates. Terms of the contract have not been announced.
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.
