Tollbooths on the Kansas Turnpike are now a thing of the past, removal is underway

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Work crews are making progress in Kansas removing outdated toll booths along the state highway following the implementation of cashless tolling.

Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) CEO Steve Hewitt unveiled plans for Kansas’ all-new cashless toll system on April 5, 2024. The new toll system officially goes into effect on July 1, 2024, prompting mixed reactions from motorists across the state.

KTA spokeswoman Rachel Bell told 27 News that the removal of old toll booths began almost immediately after cashless tolling was implemented. Several smaller toll plazas, located at Exits 197 and 204, are already gone. These workers will continue to remove the toll booths over the next year and a half until there are no more left.

“Some exits have KTA personnel working on them,” Bell said. “Other locations that require more concrete work are the responsibility of contractors. Contractors will begin work in early August.”

Another change drivers may have noticed while driving the state’s highways is the modifications to the old toll signs that warned motorists of upcoming toll plazas. These signs were modified after cashless tolling went live, with more changes on the way for some signs as the toll plazas are demolished.

Bell said new signs are already up along the 236 miles of the Kansas Turnpike to inform drivers of the new cashless toll system. There are no current plans to add additional signs for this purpose.

“For a conversion of this size, the project has gone very smoothly,” Bell said. “However, the work is not yet done. There are still parts of the conversion process that are ongoing. For example, the billing cycle for transactions made on July 1 when cashless tolling began will be billed from August 1; the DriveKS mobile app is still being reviewed by the app stores. Overall, the new roadside tolling system has been operational for less than a month, and our new back-office system went live on July 8. It will take some time to refine both systems, so we expect to make adjustments as needed.”

Click here to learn more about cashless tolls in Kansas and how they work.

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