TOPEKA, KS — Governor Laura Kelly was joined by Representative Sharice Davids, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), local leaders, and state and local officials in Overland Park to cut a ceremonial ribbon marking the opening of Kansas’ first express lanes on the U.S. 69 Express corridor. The project was among the first selected for funding under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), a 10-year bipartisan initiative to modernize and expand Kansas’ transportation infrastructure.
KDOT’s $572 million design-build project, known as 69Express, included reconstruction of U.S. 69 in Overland Park, widening the highway with added express lanes — one northbound and one southbound between 103rd and 151st streets — and interchange improvements at U.S. 69/167th Street.
“The launch of Kansas’ first express lanes is a huge win for infrastructure in our state,” Kelly said. “This project represents a forward-thinking approach to reducing congestion immediately while building a foundation for Johnson County’s future economic growth.’’
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 will allow KDOT 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.
Drivers will be able to enter and exit the express lanes at three points along U.S. 69: 103rd Street, Blue Valley Parkway, and 151st Street. Dynamic messaging signs at these entry points will show the current toll rate to the driver’s destination. The rates shown on the sign are for drivers with two-axle vehicles and a KTAG or compatible transponder. These drivers will pay the lowest toll rate on 69Express — 50 percent lower than vehicles without a KTAG.
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“69Express is the result of successful collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners,” KDOT Secretary Calvin Reed said. “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.”
69Express was funded by federal, state, and local sources and completed as part of Kansas’ IKE Program.
