FAQs

Drivers on southbound U.S. 69 can choose to enter the express lane at 103rd Street, followed by an exit to 135th Street, before reaching the end of the express lane at 151st Street. Traveling northbound, drivers can choose to enter the express lane north of 151st Street, with a direct exit to Blue Valley Parkway, then an exit to 119th Street/College/I‑435, before reaching the end of the express lane at 103rd Street.

The express lanes and general-purpose lanes are separated by double white lines. When drivers using an express lane want to exit U.S. 69, they will move out of the express lane and back into the general-purpose lanes at designated locations where there are dashed lines on the pavement. They will then use the general-purpose lane exit ramps along the roadway.

Tolls are collected electronically using a KTAG or another compatible transponder or billed by mail using the vehicle’s registration information. Tolls are assessed based on the toll rate at the time the driver enters the express lane. To pay the lowest toll rate on 69Express, we recommend customers get a KTAG or a compatible transponder.

Yes. KTAGs are the most cost-effective way to pay tolls on U.S. 69. A KTAG is a small device (like a sticker) called a transponder that adheres to the inside of a vehicle’s windshield. Customers who use a KTAG or another valid, compatible transponder pay the lowest toll on 69Express and all Kansas toll facilities — 50% less than those who do not use a KTAG. KTAGs also can be used in Oklahoma, Texas and most toll facilities in Florida and Colorado.

Drivers who do not have KTAGs can sign up at driveks.com/tolling/ktag. KTAG transponders are free and can be mailed directly to the user.

DriveKS is Kansas’ toll payment system, operated by the Kansas Turnpike Authority. At DriveKS.com, motorists can set up an account, save a payment method and order a free KTAG to place in their vehicles. Tolls accrued on a KTAG or compatible transponder are charged to a customer’s bank account or credit/debit card each month. Users also may choose a pre-paid option, available at select Kansas retailers or online at www.BancPass.com.

For customers who already have KTAG accounts, trips taken in the 69Express Lanes appear on their KTAG monthly statements.

Drivers without a compatible transponder, like KTAG, will receive a mailed bill from DriveKS. Tolls can be paid by visiting the DriveKS.com website, by phone or by mail.

There are two types of enforcement to consider:

1. Refusing to pay tolls levied for use of the express lanes; and
2. Improper use of the lanes on the roadway.

Refusing to pay tolls follows the same administrative process used on the Kansas Turnpike. This can include referral to a collection agent or placement of a registration hold on the vehicle until the tolls are paid. Customers are given multiple opportunities to pay the tolls before escalating to those steps.

Law enforcement monitors the roadway and enforces its proper use. For example, not using the designated entry and exit points and crossing over the double white line would be ticketed as a moving violation similar to exceeding the speed limit.

The express lanes are clearly marked, and signs located along U.S. 69 let drivers know that crossing the double white lines (which mark the express lanes) is illegal. If you enter and exit the toll lane at any time, you will be charged for the use of the lane. The City of Overland Park has passed an ordinance that also allows police to ticket drivers who cross the double white lines.

In either of these situations, it is the driver’s duty under Kansas’ state statute to move to the right shoulder of the highway as soon as it is safe to do so, using a turn signal and obeying other traffic laws. This would necessitate crossing the double white lines that separate the express lane from the general-purpose lanes. A driver may not cross the double white lines again to get back into the express lane but would wait to re-enter at the next designated entry point.

Crossing the double white lines is a traffic violation enforceable by law enforcement personnel. Tolling equipment is present throughout the corridor to charge express lane users the appropriate toll. The cameras are not used to enforce traffic laws. Law enforcement officers are monitoring the corridor and will issue tickets if they encounter drivers crossing the double white lines.

No. If there is a crash on the highway and the express lane is needed to divert traffic, signs above the express lane showing toll rates will be turned off. No one will be charged for using the express lane under these circumstances.

Express lanes do a better job of reducing congestion and improving travel time reliability than just one more general-purpose lane would do. Express lanes enable drivers to choose if they want to pay a toll to drive in the free-flowing express lanes, which in turn helps reduce congestion in the toll-free, general-purpose lanes. Express lanes also generate revenue that fund the City of Overland Park’s local contribution, which helped accelerate the Project’s construction schedule.

Express lanes offer a way for U.S. 69 users to generate revenue that funds Overland Park’s local contribution to the 69Express Project. As the tolls are collected, toll revenue over time will be used to offset KDOT’s initial construction investment to build the new lanes.

Local contributions are funds and other things of value that cities, counties and sometimes the private sector provide to advance important infrastructure Projects. In the case of 69Express, the City of Overland Park’s local contribution was $30 million.

The 69Express Project included:

• Reconstructing the existing four lanes of U.S. 69 between 103rd Street and 151st Street;
• Adding two new express lanes (one northbound, one southbound) between 103rd Street and 151st Street;
• Reconstructing the interchange ramps at I‑435, College Blvd., 119th Street, Blue Valley Parkway, 135th Street, 151st Street and 167th Street;
• Multiple bridge replacements; and
• Constructing 11 noise walls.

The cost of that work was $572 million. For more information, download the 69Express Funding Fact Sheet.

Variable rate tolling means toll rates change with traffic volumes to keep the toll lanes flowing smoothly while also improving traffic flow in the toll-free, general-purpose lanes. Overhead signs communicate the current toll rate to drivers, so they can choose for themselves whether they want to pay that price to drive in the free-flowing toll lane.

Rates vary based on congestion levels. Tolls rates between 103rd and 151st Streets at the time the express lanes opened in February 2026 varied from $0.35 to $1.50 for two-axle vehicles with KTAGs, depending upon the length of the trip and the time of day.

Yes. In a May 2021 survey of area residents, nearly 40% of respondents said they would use the express lanes all the time, most of the time or some of the time to avoid congestion on U.S. 69. Express lanes provide a more reliable travel time. Traffic analyses showed that the express lanes would have an average speed of 55 mph. Drivers will use the express lanes to bypass congestion, especially when a predictable travel time is critical, such as getting to an important meeting or picking up a child from daycare.

The express lanes are planned to raise the City of Overland Park’s $30 million local contribution. Adjusted for inflation and included maintenance, it is estimated that the express lane tolls will generate the $30 million contribution between 2037 and 2042.

By statute, toll revenue raised by this Project must be spent on Project expenses. Toll revenue first will cover its own cost of collection (operations, maintenance and periodic replacement of the roadside toll system) and then will be used to reimburse KDOT for the City’s local contribution toward initial construction costs.

The Project has determined that the net revenue of the express lanes can fund the local contribution from the City of Overland Park. Tolls will be in place until the $30 million local contribution is met. At that time, the City of Overland Park and KDOT will determine if the express lane operation should continue.

No. Tolls will generate revenue for Overland Park’s local contribution and are a tool used to manage traffic volumes in the tolled and free lanes.

No.

No. State law mandates that any existing lane in Kansas must remain untolled. Only new, additional lanes can be tolled — and only after a lengthy, detailed partnership process involving the community, KDOT, KTA and state elected officials.

No. Low-income drivers suffer from traffic congestion. Express lanes provide congestion relief to all drivers, even if they don’t use the tolled lanes. Drivers can choose to use the express lanes occasionally when they will benefit most from reliable travel times.

Transit vehicles can use the express lanes at a reduced toll rate, allowing individual transit riders to access a reliable trip at a low or no cost. All hike/bike paths or sidewalks affected by Project construction are being restored as part of the Project. Additionally, bike trails and sidewalks were added at the 139th Street crossing of U.S. 69 and bike trails, bike lanes and sidewalks were added along 167th Street from Antioch to Metcalf.

The U.S. 69 express lanes are owned and maintained by KDOT. Roadside toll equipment, toll technology, integration with DriveKS — Kansas’ toll payment system — and all toll collection, processing and customer service are handled by the Kansas Turnpike Authority.

The U.S. 69 Corridor Modernization and Expansion Project — also known as 69Express — addresses long-term congestion on U.S. 69 between 103rd and 151st Streets in Overland Park. The interchange at 167th Street also was rebuilt and expanded as part of this Project.

Without improvements to the corridor, safety and congestion issues on U.S. 69 were projected to grow significantly, driven by increasing population in Overland Park and areas south of the city.

The Environmental Assessment (EA), traffic, safety and toll feasibility analyses began in October 2020, and a noise study began in summer 2021. These studies showed both community support and environmental clearance for express lanes on U.S. 69. Major construction began in spring 2023. The express lanes opened to traffic Feb. 21, 2026.

The Overland Park City Council approved the widening of U.S. 69 with express lanes on June 21, 2021. The City of Overland Park, in consultation with KDOT, then proposed express lanes to the Kansas Turnpike Authority Board and the State Finance Council for their respective approvals. Those bodies voted in favor of the Project as presented. On July 8, 2021, KDOT announced that the Project would advance from KDOT’s development pipeline to construction.

Major construction on the U.S. 69 Expansion Project’s first phase between 103rd and 151st Streets began in 2023. The express lanes, one in each direction, opened to traffic Feb. 21, 2026. Construction along U.S. 69 was substantially complete in Spring 2026, approximately six months ahead of the originally scheduled completion at the end of 2026.

To ensure pedestrian safety, some trails under U.S. 69 were closed during construction. Please visit the City of Overland Park Trail Closures Map for more information.

• The Indian Creek, North Branch Indian Creek and Tomahawk Creek Trails are open, as are the 139th Street and 143rd Street trail connections under U.S. 69.
• Other trails opening in Spring 2026 include the Brandon Place Linkages Trail and the 167th Street Trail Extension.

The EA examined six alternatives for addressing U.S. 69 safety and congestion issues:

• No-Build, used as a benchmark for comparison with build alternatives;
• Improvement to alternative routes;
• Existing capacity management through technologies (for example, ramp metering, queue warning systems and other traveler information) or demand management, including carpooling and staggering work shifts;
• Multimodal, primarily bus improvements such as increasing the frequency and number of transit routes, bus on shoulder and transit on demand; and improving bike and pedestrian facilities;
• Add Capacity — traditional widening; and
• Add Capacity — express lanes.

Strategies such as expanded transit, interchange improvements and ramp metering were not sufficient to address problems in the corridor. They also cost more and take much longer to implement and provide improvement benefits. New capacity — in the form of added lanes — was needed to address current and future congestion.

After much study, the Project Team determined that express lanes were the best way to widen the highway in terms of cost and additional long-term safety, traffic flow and trip-time reliability benefits. Based upon approvals in June 2021 by the Overland Park City Council, the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the State Finance Council, U.S. 69 was widened with one new express lane in each direction. The two existing lanes in each direction were rebuilt and remain free to use.

An express lane is a lane available to any driver who chooses to pay a user fee (toll) to achieve a more reliable travel time. The toll rate goes up as traffic increases (such as during rush hour or other peak traffic times) to keep the toll lane flowing smoothly and the toll-free, general-purpose lanes also flowing better. Tolls are collected automatically via electronic transponders or with license plate readers. The current price to enter the toll lane is communicated to drivers via signs, so drivers choose for themselves whether they want to pay that price to drive in the free-flowing toll lane. Thus, the toll price varies with the amount of traffic in the corridor. By providing choices, express lanes reduce delays, manage congestion and keep travel times reliable for drivers.

The U.S. 69 Expansion Project evolved over time as a result of frequent, extensive outreach to people who use or rely on the corridor between 103rd and 179th Streets. In addition to years of outreach connected to previous studies regarding how to improve U.S. 69, the Project Team, among other efforts, interviewed community leaders, held focus groups with corridor users, conducted multiple statistically valid surveys and held multiple online and in-person community briefings and public meetings. As a result, a number of significant design changes were made in the Project, including but not limited to:

• Express lanes — This solution was developed in response to public demand for a faster, cheaper and more lasting solution to U.S. 69 congestion.
• Equity strategies — Although people were willing to consider express lanes as a solution, they also wanted to make sure the lanes did not cause unforeseen issues for lower-income or disadvantaged motorists. As a result, an Equity Committee was established to identify what issues, if any, might arise and to develop solutions that would be implemented before the express lanes opened.
• Design and alignment changes — Area residents and travelers throughout the community engagement process identified areas of concern where they wanted to see design changes to minimize local impacts, improve safety and access or achieve other desired outcomes. Some examples include:
  • At 139th Street, design changes were made to provide desired bike/pedestrian accommodations and to address local safety concerns;
  • Corridor users were concerned about the ease and safety of accessing the express lanes to and from Blue Valley Parkway, so direct access was designed into the facility; and
  • Federal funding was sought and secured in response to local need for improved, safer 167th Street access to and from U.S. 69.

Finally, it’s important to note that U.S. 69 improvements were built using design-build, an alternative Project delivery approach. Design-build allowed the Project to be completed on the fastest possible schedule, which 69Express surveys showed was a priority for the public.

The Project Team evaluated potential noise impacts as part of the Environmental Assessment and determined whether noise control measures were warranted and could be feasibly and reasonably built under federal and state policies. To improve uniformity on the Project, KDOT used the same version of the noise policy it used on the previous I‑435 and U.S. 69 projects — along with updated traffic volumes and design information for U.S. 69’s current and projected conditions.

KDOT reviewed the study results, including recommendations for noise abatement such as sound walls, with the Overland Park City Council. Results were presented to the public at a Dec. 8, 2021, virtual meeting. For locations where noise walls were recommended for inclusion in the Project, KDOT met with Benefitted Receptors — people whose properties would receive at least a 5 decibel (dB) noise-level reduction from a noise wall — the week of Jan. 24, 2022, to determine if they wanted noise walls. Following these discussions, it was determined that 11 noise walls would be installed along the corridor. Beginning at 151st Street, they were primarily built along the residential areas of the corridor up to Indian Creek. Walls between 119th Street and I‑35 were installed with previous projects. Find more information on the Noise Study page.

The U.S. Department of Transportation defines a Benefitted Receptor as a property receiving at least a 5 decibel (dB) reduction in noise levels from a proposed noise abatement measure such as a noise wall. Find more information on the Noise Study page.

Using a detailed FHWA noise model, the Project Team analyzed different noise wall designs and effectiveness at locations within about 500 feet of U.S. 69. The model assumes that the noise receptor faces the highway at about 5 feet from the exterior wall of each structure. A receptor is considered benefitted when at least a 5 dB reduction is predicted to occur with the future roadway configuration and traffic levels. Find more information on the Noise Study page.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, a 5 dB change is the level at which most people perceive a perceptible sound difference.

There is no standard example of what a 5 dB reduction will sound like, as different people will perceive the reduction differently.

Anyone was able to attend the noise meetings, which were publicized in the local media, on the Project website and through Project social media accounts. Only Benefitted Receptors received direct invitations, however, as they were the only ones eligible to vote on whether to approve any proposed noise mitigation solution for their area. The invitation sent to each of them was to make sure they knew about the opportunity to cast their votes.

Meeting times were selected to make it convenient for Benefitted Receptors and others to attend a meeting associated with the noise wall proposed for a location near them. This enabled them to receive details on the findings from the 69Express Noise Study most pertinent to them, learn about potential solutions to reduce noise impacts and have an opportunity to speak directly with Project Team members about the study findings.

Each one voted on whether KDOT should build the proposed noise wall it was recommending for the Benefitted Receptor’s area. Under federal and KDOT policies, proposed noise walls are constructed only if approved by the Benefitted Receptors. Only Benefitted Receptors are eligible to vote on noise abatement measures. The Benefitted Receptors approved all 11 noise walls KDOT proposed. Find more information on the Noise Study page.

They did not vote on the type of wall, physical attributes (length, height, etc.), landscaping, location, material, surface design or color.

The eligibility to vote is set by federal regulation.

An Environmental Assessment (EA) established a Purpose and Need for the Project and then assessed potential solutions in terms of how well they fulfilled the Purpose and Need. The EA initially identified five Purpose and Need criteria for evaluating potential solutions to the problems of U.S. 69 congestion and safety:

• Improve safety to address crash frequency and severity within the corridor;
• Reduce congestion and improve traffic operations to meet existing and future travel demands;
• Promote sustainability by addressing infrastructure conditions and ongoing operations and maintenance needs, supporting environmental stewardship, as well as improving long‐term traveler reliability;
• Provide flexible choices by promoting a transportation system that accommodates the needs of all users and modes; and
• Accommodate local and regional growth through coordinated transportation improvements consistent with planned and proposed community land use.

The Project’s EA evaluated impacts of various solutions on climate change, including how the Project will improve safety and congestion, increase transit options and minimize impacts to the natural and built environment.

One of the key criteria within the Alternative Screening Process was limiting impacts to the natural environment. The Express Lanes Alternative most satisfied this requirement while also meeting the Project’s Purpose and Need. This Alternative does not mean there will be no impacts to the natural environment. Rather, impacts will be limited and mitigated as best possible within the Project constraints.

Within the Project area right-of-way, there were wooded areas and scattered trees that could have served as nesting grounds for several migratory bird species and northern long-eared bats. With guidance from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, provisions were made to avoid the displacement or injury of roosts, eggs and nestlings. Because the nesting season generally occurs between April 1 and September 15, the contractor determined it best to remove the trees prior to March 1, well in advance of the nesting season. Completing the tree removal by March 1 became a contractual obligation for the contractor team.

In addition to these efforts, the design-build team was required to inspect each bridge that was rehabilitated, prior to construction, to ensure that there were no active bird nests or roosts, thus avoiding injury to eggs or nestlings.

For more information, please see Chapter 3 of the Environmental Assessment.

To submit comments and/or receive more information about the Project, submit a comment to the 69Express team through our online form.