KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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After years of construction, the new 69Express toll lanes officially opened Saturday morning. The $572 million project is the largest in Kansas Department of Transportation history and stretches six miles from 103rd Street to 151st Street.
The highway now has three lanes in each direction — two free lanes plus one express lane that drivers can choose to pay for if they want a faster commute.
About 80,000 vehicles travel U.S. 69 Highway along that stretch each day, so project director Steve Rockers says this lane is about making commutes easier.
"For the area, it'll make a much easier path to get to work," Rockers said. "It'll be adding on a lane, helping with congestion, and make for an easier ride to get to home and work."
Drivers can enter and exit the express lanes at 103rd Street, Blue Valley Parkway and 151st Street. Tolls are electronic, either through KTAG or license plate billing.
The toll prices will change based on traffic conditions, and drivers will see the cost posted on overhead signs before entering the lane.
KDOT Secretary of Transportation Calvin Reed said this project is really about keeping up with growth in the area.
"Overland Park is obviously a quickly growing city. It's been growing for years," Reed said during a Feb. 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It's outgrown the existing U.S. 69 Highway, so these improvements will help the city of Overland Park, Johnson County continue to grow and meet the goals it wants to."
KDOT says crash rates through this stretch are 53% higher than the state average, so the goal is safer, smoother travel for commuters.
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