When express toll lanes open on U.S. Highway 69 in Overland Park, drivers won’t be allowed to simply weave in and out of the lanes when they want but will have to enter and exit at designated points or face penalties.
Spanning roughly between 103rd and 151st streets, the U.S. Highway 69 express toll project is adding a third lane that drivers will be able to use at a price to bypass traffic in the other two lanes.
Once completed, the new express toll lane will run in both directions in the left-most lanes and be marked off with double white lines to keep it separate from the two free lanes to the right.
Designated entrance and exit points will direct drivers who want to use the toll lanes.
Failure to follow the rules of the express toll lanes would result drivers being assessed the regular toll charge from the Kansas Turnpike Authority, plus an attached penalty fee and potentially a municipal traffic ticket from Overland Park.
This week, the Overland Park City Council Public Safety Committee took the first stab at a proposed ordinance that would allow local police to enforce the rules of the express lane with traffic citations. Overland Park is creating the ordinance at the request of the Kansas Department of Transportation.
How do express toll lanes work?
- The idea behind the 69Express project is to charge motorists a fee to use the less congested express lanes on what has been one of Kansas’s busiest stretches of highway in recent years.
- Express toll lanes will rely on technology to read K-TAGs from KTA and vehicle license plates if motorists don’t have a K-TAG.
- No cash or tickets exchange hands at designated toll booths, but instead, motorists will either receive a charge via their K-TAG or receive a bill in the mail. Kansas only sends toll bills in the mail, never over text or email.
- It will only cost motorists to use the designated express toll lanes; it will still be free to drive on the two other lanes of US-69 through Overland Park.
- The cost to use the express lanes will vary based on multiple factors such as time of day, the distance you’re traveling and traffic conditions. More information about cost is available here.
- Technology will be able to catch drivers using the express lanes improperly and bill them with an extra penalty — though drivers won’t be penalized for making room for emergency vehicles.
Why does Overland Park need toll lane codes?
Eric Blevins, senior assistant city attorney, said the idea is to not only make sure drivers are using the express lanes correctly so traffic can flow as intended but also to cut down on potential collisions caused by drivers unexpectedly exiting the toll lanes into general traffic.
“We only want people entering and exiting the toll lane at marked places,” Blevins added.
Since this is the state’s first foray into express toll lanes, there is currently no state statute on the books that specifically sets out how they should be used, Blevins said.
That means, to have Overland Park Police officers enforce the rules of the express lanes, Overland Park has to pass its own municipal ordinance. It also means that this would be categorized as a non-moving traffic violation — even though offenders will be moving along the highway — since there’s no state equivalent.
The cost of traffic violations in Overland Park can vary depending on the type of violation and other factors. Find more information about cost and additional fees here.
Next steps:
- The committee on Wednesday unanimously recommended the new traffic ordinance tied to the express toll lanes for approval.
- The ordinance goes to the Overland Park City Council for consideration next.
- Later, KDOT plans to do an informational campaign instructing people on how to use the express lanes.
- The work on the express toll lanes and the bulk of the 69Express project is expected to wrap up this year. The toll lanes would then become active in late 2025, according to the 69Express website.
More 69Express news: Major work on U.S. Highway 69 in Overland Park expected to wrap up this year. When will toll lanes open?
