In a near-midnight vote Monday, the Overland Park City Council agreed to move forward with a plan to add express toll lanes to U.S. 69 to help fund the expansion of the highway in Johnson County — a decision that has drawn opposition from many residents.
The highway would be widened to six lanes from 103rd to 151st streets — paid for in part by making a lane in each direction a toll lane. Drivers could choose to pay a toll for a faster commute. The other lanes would remain free.
The City Council voted 10-2 to enter into an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation to propose the plan to the Kansas Turnpike Authority board and State Finance Council for their approval. If they approve, KDOT would set the project as its top development priority, with construction expected next year.
Councilmen Faris Farassati, who is running for mayor, and Scott Hamblin voted no.
The first phase of work includes construction north of 151st Street, at a cost of $300 million. The tolls would pay for Overland Park’s $20 million contribution to that phase, so that the city doesn’t have to take the money out of its budget.
Plans call for the highway to eventually be expanded south to 179th Street.
Councilman Curt Skoog, who is also running for mayor, argued that it’s in the city’s best interest to pitch in the toll lane funds so that the project can move ahead quickly.
“It will take 15 to 20 years at best to address today’s needs if we don’t do it all at one time,” Skoog said. “Do you remember I-435? I do. Phase after phase, we were in construction for 15 years. It seemed like 100. If we say it’s the state’s problem, that’s the experience we will have.”
But the idea of toll lanes has been unpopular with many residents. Some have deemed them “Lexus lanes,” arguing that it is an inequitable system favoring the wealthy. And some have argued that it should be KDOT’s responsibility to fully fund the project — in a state that borrowed more than $2 billion from its highway fund during the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback.
“It’s a great deal for the state of Kansas, for KDOT,” Farassati said. “It’s not a good deal for the people of Overland Park.”
Council members did not begin discussing toll lanes until around 10:30 p.m., after hearing public comments and dealing with other city business. They did not finish debating until close to midnight.
“You are going against the will of the people,” Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara argued during public comments. “I’ve talked to lots and lots of people, and there’s not the support. Do not do this, please.”
While express lanes have been built in other metro areas, like Denver and Dallas, these would be the first in Kansas. The toll would be collected digitally, with drivers charged after their K-Tag or license plate number is scanned.
Rates would fluctuate, rising when there is greater demand. KDOT estimates that rush hour toll rates likely would be between 25 cents and 32 cents per mile, lower than the national average of 56 cents. A commuter driving through the entire stretch of the express lane five times a week could expect to pay a weekly average of $7.50 in tolls.
After studying the feasibility of the project, KDOT determined that adding the express lanes was the most cost effective and environmentally friendly option for expanding the highway, said Deputy Secretary Lindsey Douglas.
“We thank the Overland Park City Council for its vote last night to add express toll lanes on U.S. 69 Highway,” KDOT officials said in a statement. “The decision is a demonstration of the city’s commitment to maintaining Overland Park’s excellent quality of life by ensuring that the community continues to provide cost-effective, high-performing infrastructure, good access to jobs and an improved level of roadway safety.”
KDOT estimated that express lanes would be roughly $85 million cheaper than a traditional widening project, which would require more roadway and bridges to be constructed to help vehicles exit and enter the highway.
With the toll lane option, construction of the entire project is expected to total $655 million.
Tolls would be collected until Overland Park pays off its share, which could take until 2042, KDOT estimates.
Once the match is paid off, the tolls go away. That is, unless there is a change to the law allowing tolling to continue to help fund other projects, Douglas said. Without the tolls, the six-lane highway likely would not meet traffic needs in the coming decades, so more construction would possibly be needed.
One resident on Monday questioned whether that made the toll lanes a “Band-Aid solution.”
The stretch of U.S. 69 is the most congested four-lane highway in the state, according to a traffic analysis. Officials expect traffic volume to double by 2040, as more people move to southern Johnson County.
In addition to adding the new lanes, the project includes reconfiguring the interchanges at Blue Valley Parkway and at Interstate 435. Improvements would be made to cross streets and pavement, and bridges would be reconstructed.
Work would also improve the southbound segment between Blue Valley Parkway and 135th Street, which sees the worst congestion during evening rush hours, according to a previous KDOT study.
Heading south, the Blue Valley Parkway entrance ramp would be moved from the left side of U.S. 69 to the right side, she said, eliminating the current weave to 135th Street. Crews would also add ramps connecting the express toll lane and Blue Valley Parkway, officials previously said.
In a survey released this month by KDOT, nearly 78% of the 1,200 respondents said the highway’s traffic flow should be improved in the next five years. Asked whether drivers would use the express lanes, 8.5% said most of the time; 24% said some of the time; 26.5% said only in emergencies; and 32% said they would never use them.
If the Overland Park City Council had rejected toll lanes, the city would have had to either front the $20 million cost or pay it incrementally over the next decade. Or the city could have decided not to contribute, but KDOT officials said that would mean the project would be more costly and construction would take several more years.
