Kansas Turnpike

Kansas Turnpike
Kansas Turnpike highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Kansas Turnpike Authority
Length	236 mi[1] (380 km)
Existed	October 1956–present
Component highways	I-35 from the Oklahoma state line to Emporia I-335 from Emporia to Topeka I-470 in southeastern Topeka I-70 from Topeka to Kansas City
Major junctions
South end	I-35 at the Oklahoma state line
Major intersections	I-135 / I-235 / US-81 in Wichita I-35 / I-335 / US-50 in Emporia I-335 / I-470 / US-75 in Topeka I-70 / I-470 / US-40 / K-4 in Topeka
East end	I-70 / US-24 / US-40 / US-69 in Kansas City
Location
Country	United States
State	Kansas
Counties	Sumner, Sedgwick, Butler, Chase, Lyon, Wabaunsee, Osage, Shawnee, Douglas, Leavenworth, Wyandotte
Highway system
Kansas State Highway System Interstate US State Spurs
← US-283 I-335 → US-383

The Kansas Turnpike is a 236-mile (380 km) controlled-access toll road that lies entirely within the US state of Kansas. It runs in a general southwest–northeast direction from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City. It passes through several major Kansas cities, including Wichita, Topeka, and Lawrence. The turnpike is owned and maintained by the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA), which is headquartered in Wichita.

The Kansas Turnpike was built from 1954 to 1956, predating the Interstate Highway System. While not part of the system's early plans, the turnpike was eventually incorporated into the Interstate System in late 1956 and is designated today as four different Interstate Highway routes: Interstate 35 (I-35), Interstate 335 (I-335), I-470, and I-70. The turnpike also carries a piece of two U.S. Highways: U.S. Highway 24 (US-24) and US-40 in Kansas City.

Because it predates the Interstate Highway System, the road is not engineered to current Interstate Highway standards and notably lacks a regulation-width median. To reduce the risk of head-on collisions, the Kansas Turnpike now has a continuous, permanent Jersey barrier in the median over its entire length. On opening, there was no fixed speed limit on the highway; drivers were merely asked to keep to a "reasonable and proper" limit, although, shortly afterward, signs were erected in certain stretches indicating a maximum speed of 80 mph (130 km/h). From 1970 to 1974 and again since 2011, the turnpike's speed limit has been set at 75 mph (121 km/h); that limit during the earlier period applied only during daytime hours.

Around 120,000 drivers use the turnpike daily. The road features numerous services, including a travel radio station and six service areas. One of these service areas is notable for the presence of a memorial to University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, who died near the current highway's route.

The turnpike currently uses a ticket system of toll collection with distance-based tolls paid upon exiting the highway. An electronic toll collection system known as K-TAG is also available. Effective July 1, 2024, toll booths will be eliminated; devices interrogate K-TAG and compatible devices and take photos of license plates, and drivers will be billed. The tolls for vehicles with the devices will be roughly half of those billed via license plate. ^[2] The turnpike is self-sustaining; it derives its entire revenue from the tolls collected and requires no tax money for maintenance or administration.