A Case Study: Navigating the Transition to Cashless Tolling on the Kansas Turnpike

By Bruce Meisch, Director of Technology, Kansas Turnpike Authority & Derek Vap, Engineering Department Manager and Associate Vice President, HNTB Corporation

The 236-mile Kansas Turnpike, built in 1956, includes portions of the state’s most heavily traveled interstates. In 2014, to improve safety, enhance customer convenience and address aging equipment and workforce, the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) began studying how to modernize its toll collection system to all-electronic tolling (AET). KTA already offered electronic payments through KTAG, a toll transponder program.

KTA developed a strategic plan to ensure a seamless transition to cashless tolling by 2024. From planning to execution, KTA took strategic steps to ensure a smooth and efficient tolling transition, including the following:

Took interim steps toward the goal. As a preliminary move toward cashless tolling, KTA constructed separate open road toll lanes at the state’s three highest revenue-generating toll plazas starting in 2017. KTA removed the gates that KTAG users previously passed through, allowing vehicles with transponders to proceed without stopping. This also allowed KTA to begin collecting real-time cashless tolling data and set the stage for the future expansion of AET across the turnpike. Having built the three plazas to ensure they would be usable when the ultimate AET goal was achieved, KTA later expanded this cashless capability to all lanes in all toll zones.

Increased transponder market adoption. To reduce its toll collection costs, increase revenue assurance and ease the transition for drivers, KTA began a concerted effort in 2015 to boost KTAG or compatible transponder use from 50% to 70%. By the conversion date, KTA had met its goal and continues to improve electronic toll adoption.

Focus groups and other outreach revealed that switching from prepaid to postpaid accounts backed  by a credit card would remove a barrier to transponder adoption. Making that switch, KTA became one of only a few toll agencies in the country to offer postpaid-only accounts. The change increased customers’ acceptance and use of KTAGs, and KTA’s revenue collection has remained as strong as it was with prepaid accounts.

Leaned on a multidisciplinary team. The turnpike’s physical infrastructure and extensive length made this transition unique. KTA established a multidisciplinary project team to execute a phased design, construction and installation schedule that minimized impacts and disruption to roadway user traffic flow. The team included HNTB, a national transportation infrastructure consulting firm and TransCore the roadside toll collection system (RTCS) provider. KTA also divided toll zone construction into four geographic packages and sequences to maximize efficiencies and create cost savings by using local contractors across the statewide project.

Made strategic toll zone selections. Site selection was integral to the design phase. A large portion of the Kansas Turnpike is in rural areas. The toll zone locations were strategically selected to leverage existing utilities, a decision that helped reduce costs and installation complexity.

In urban areas like Wichita, Topeka and Lawrence, where bridge interchanges are close together, potential locations for new gantries were limited. In these situations, designers selected locations that gave drivers time to read and respond to roadway signs and change lanes as they entered and exited the interstate.

Identified a need-specific system interface.KTA dedicated a year to selecting an RTCS provider, ensuring alignment with operational needs and user expectations. HNTB provided insights from its toll industry work across the country. KTA built out a larger IT staff and upgraded its legacy customer service back-office system to a new platform, database and user experience.

In response to customer feedback, KTA designed its system to uniquely allow customers to have one account under the agency’s new toll payment system, DriveKS, for both transponder- and non-transponder-based toll transactions.

Once the cashless system launched, customer feedback helped KTA fine-tune operations in real time. In the long term, the internally built system reduces costs, and KTA can continue customizing it to address desired operational changes.

Considered the needs of targeted audiences. Truck traffic is increasing annually on the turnpike. KTA made considerable system and safety enhancements with commercial drivers in mind. With the new cashless tolling system, commercial drivers benefit from enhancements that include wrong-way detection notifications, signage showing available truck parking spaces at service areas and an account management system that better accommodates fleets.

KTA’s launch of electronic tolling in July 2024 marks a major advancement in transportation technology, eliminating vehicle slowdowns and queues on the Kansas Turnpike’s high-speed interstates. This investment enhances safety, improves customer convenience, and modernizes the turnpike for future generations by increasing efficiency and financial sustainability.