Friday’s injury crash at the Kansas Turnpike Emporia tollgate apparently had some connection to demolition work now underway.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says 31-year-old Raydel Nunez of St. Joseph was northbound and ignored construction zone cones before driving on top of the toll plaza’s concrete barrier and flipping his utility vehicle onto its roof. Nunez and a passenger, Manressa Nunez, were taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment of suspected minor injuries. Both were later arrested — Raydel Nunez for suspicion of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery, Manressa Nunez for being a fugitive from justice.
Demolition started in August, and KTA engineer Glen Scott says drivers will need to slow down and pay attention as the work continues.
Signage is now evident from just east of the tollbooth beyond the structure to the west, both for northbound and southbound travelers.
Scott says this is a safety move as the Turnpike Authority continues the transition to cashless tolling, and stats from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration bear that out. NHTSA says nearly 41,000 people were killed in traffic crashes last year, with 80 percent killed due to distracted driving and 15 percent of fatalities involving stationary objects like tollbooths.
The demolition process will continue systemwide through 2025. Work at Admire, mile marker 147, will take place next year.
