OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Construction leaders said they are slightly ahead of schedule on the express toll lane project along U.S. 69 Highway in Overland Park, Kansas.
The toll lanes should open between 103rd and 151st streets by the end of 2025.
“I can see light at the end of the tunnel for sure,” said Kristin Vaughn, who drives on the highway about every other day.
She and other drivers have been frustrated with closures of lanes, exits and entrance ramps. But most drivers who spoke to KSHB 41 News have adjusted to their new normal.
“At first it was frustrating, but now that it’s become the new norm. It’s been a few months, now we know if we need to head north, we need to leave five minutes earlier just to account for it,” Lindsey Baumann said.
The Kansas Department of Transportation says the project will cost $572 million. The state will pay $114 million of the price tag.
Money collected through the tolls will account for $30 million of the $114 million. The federal government will pay the remaining $458 million. Some of the federal commitment comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids voted in support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She said these investments are for the future.
“What are our grandchildren going to be doing and what kind of infrastructure are they going to need,” Davids said. “Because right now, we’re operating on the infrastructure our grandparents built.”
Davids toured the construction site Thursday and helped crews with a compaction project to properly bury a drainage pipe under what will soon be a new lane of highway.
She now looks forward to employees at the new Panasonic battery plant, or tourists visiting for the World Cup, to drive on the new road.
“If we’re investing in this bread and butter infrastructure right now, it’s going to make those economic development opportunities even more impactful,” she said.
This section of U.S. 69 Highway is the busiest four-lane highway in the state.
Experts predict the number of drivers on the highway will only increase over the next decade and beyond.
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