Business
Turnpike toll plazas will be automated
Project engineer Rex Fleming describes his view of an aerial photo that looks east along the Kansas Turnpike at a new interchange being built at Leavenworth County Road 1, the road that crosses the turnpike using a new bridge about eight miles east of Lawrence.
September 24, 2008
Advertisement
$16.7M interchange project taking shape
A new Kansas Turnpike interchange is taking shape in Leavenworth County. Enlarge video
Crews continue work on new interchange
Motorists seeking a route to the Turnpike will have another option once the interchange at the intersection at Leavenworth County Road 1 is completed. Enlarge video
The new turnpike interchange at Leavenworth County Road 1 won't just be the first new exit on the toll highway since the Lecompton interchange opened a dozen years ago.
It also will be the first to operate without anyone around.
The new interchange - to be exit 212 - will have four toll plazas, each managed solely by machines.
Entry ramps will have the familiar equipment that spits out tickets to drivers getting on the turnpike, and each of the two exit ramps will have the usual K-TAG lane to handle customers who pay their bills monthly.
New with the Leavenworth interchange, set to open by the end of 2009: two Automatic Toll Payment Machines, or ATPMs, on each exit ramp.
The ATPMs will instruct drivers, by video, to insert their turnpike tickets, then inform customers how much money they owe. Payments then can be made using bills, coins or credit cards. Anyone with questions will be able to connect to a real-life turnpike employee at another location, accessible through video and audio.
Drivers wanting a receipt can have one printed out, before a gate rises to allow for entry onto County Road 1.
The system is designed to pay off within a couple of years through reduced personnel costs, said Alan Bakaitis, the turnpike's toll operations director. In all, about 10 turnpike plazas will be equipped with such machines, mostly to be used in times of low traffic usage, typically during early-morning hours.
Among the plazas slated to get automated machines: Both exit ramps at the Lecompton interchange, and the new toll plaza planned for the East Lawrence Interchange.
The turnpike does not anticipate laying off any of its 200 toll collectors, Bakaitis said.
The plan is to rely on normal retirements and other attrition to reduce the collector staff to about 180 in the coming years.
More like this
- Leavenworth County Road 1 set for September opening 4 comments / August 4, 2009
- Drivers, get ready for ramp change on turnpike 14 comments / December 19, 2008
- Closure of E. Lawrence interchange delayed to 2010 5 comments / November 12, 2008
- Turnpike interchange progresses in Leavenworth County 3 comments / September 23, 2008
- Kansas Turnpike Authority opens West Lawrence interchange 34 comments / November 24, 2008
Top ads RSS
Marketplace
Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services
- Blog: I Am Batman. November 10, 2009 · 24 comments
- Education commission challenges elected leaders to enhance funding for Kansas schools November 9, 2009 · 5 comments
- Blog: Song Titles And Lyrics: Nonsensical Non Word Songs! November 9, 2009 · 108 comments
- Blog: Being A Stripper: 10 Things I'Ve Learned So Far November 10, 2009 · 59 comments
- On the street: Did you watch 'Sesame Street' when you were a child? November 10, 2009 · 48 comments
- Parental duties November 10, 2009 · 49 comments
- Thanks to Moore November 10, 2009 · 53 comments
- Blog: Julian Wright Back In The Dog House? November 10, 2009 · 2 comments
- Lawrence man robbed at gunpoint, kidnapped November 10, 2009 · 24 comments
- Free State donation breaks board rules November 10, 2009 · 15 comments
- 'White Owl' held in jail in connection with protective order case November 9, 2009
- Business development taking shape November 10, 2009
- Season's greetings: Photographer’s book explores Kansas nature November 10, 2009
- Cats are independent but trainable November 10, 2009
- Bioscience Authority puts its money on KU November 10, 2009
- Lecompton man still in serious condition after motorcycle accident November 9, 2009
- New, legal, drug has law enforcement concerned — and it's already on a Lawrence store's shelves November 4, 2009
- Unemployed Kansans eligible for additional benefits November 10, 2009
- Gary Bedore’s KU Basketball Notebook November 10, 2009
- Five downtown Lawrence businesses report burglaries over the weekend November 9, 2009
24 September 2008
at 6:59 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
domino (Anonymous) says…
OK - I'm a little confused - the system is designed to pay off within a couple years thru reduced personnel costs but the turnpike does not anticipate layinf off any of its 200 toll collectors? Something doesn't quite add up there!
24 September 2008
at 7:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
average (Anonymous) says…
domino - In the particular instance of Exit 212, this is a new interchange. So, the cost comparison would be between installing the new tech or adding new staff for the new booths.
24 September 2008
at 7:48 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
jamnjohnks (Anonymous) says…
What's going to happen when, for example, someone has a defective K-Tag. Many times I have seen where an actual live person has to release the gate. The machine going to do that? What happens when someone is an idiot and tries to go through the K-Tag lane without a K-tag? Right now, a human being walks over and collects the toll. It happens frequently. I see a big traffic snarl because someone can't get through the K-tag lane. I think this is a bad idea. There should be at least one human around.
24 September 2008
at 8:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
cheeseburger (Anonymous) says…
jamnjohnks - My thoughts exactly! I cannot see how those problems will be dealt with if a KTA employee is not present.
24 September 2008
at 8:35 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Coach_Eric (Anonymous) says…
Exactly, cheese and johnks. Even if only during peak hours.I remember a “friend of a friend” story from my college days, where the guy came down to visit from the Dakotas. He'd never seen a toll booth before, and was quite surprised. He took his ticket, but when he got to his exit, was quite surprised that he had to pay. His exact quote when asked for his toll was, I believe, “*&!% you, I pay my taxes!”
24 September 2008
at 9:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
snap_pop_no_crackle (Anonymous) says…
The rise of the machines!
24 September 2008
at 9:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
verity (Anonymous) says…
It works in other places, has for decades.
24 September 2008
at 10:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
sunshine_noise (Anonymous) says…
If it isn't new technology taking jobs, its sending jobs to foreign countries to our terrible economy. They wonder what the unemployment rate is on the rise. DUH!!
24 September 2008
at 10:12 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…
Verity =That's what I was thinking. This idea seems about 20 years past due.
24 September 2008
at 11:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
LA_Ex (Anonymous) says…
Wouldn't it be nice if they did like other cities and made the K-Tag lanes on the left side of the highway and capable if reading the tag at 70mph? Keeping traffic moving instead of slowing everybody down. The technology is out there and it can't cost that much more to use it. It would also be nice it K-Tag users got a break on the price of the tolls.
24 September 2008
at 11:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
admireed (Anonymous) says…
KTAG users do get a toll break now
24 September 2008
at 11:50 a.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
blue73harley (Anonymous) says…
“Anyone with questions will be able to connect to a real-life turnpike employee at another location, accessible through video and audio.”It is only a matter of time until this real-life person will be at a call center in India.
24 September 2008
at 12:08 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Raider (Anonymous) says…
OK, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Can you imagine the delays involved with this? Dolly Driver will take forever to figure out the new-fangled machines, and cause a huge backup getting off of the turnpike. Thank goodness for KTag lanes. :-)
24 September 2008
at 1 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
ksyellowrocker (Anonymous) says…
Who is really going to actually get off at this exit, anyway?
24 September 2008
at 1:43 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
showinquarters (Anonymous) says…
Traffic trends have shown that quite a few people will be using the new on and off ramps. I know that this new entrance onto and off of I-70 will cut my drive time down by almost 20 minutes a day! They say that they have had success with the automated systems in other places so why wouldn't it work here? You will have a few slow people, but they are the same slow people at the normal toll booths too. If you have a real problem with being behind a slow payer, get KTAG and you will have your own lane.
24 September 2008
at 1:57 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
MyName (Anonymous) says…
ZOMG! Da Machines! Dey Tuk R Jarbs!
24 September 2008
at 3:59 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
Berserk (Anonymous) says…
Layoffs aren't nessecary, they can pull a Wal-Mart and move them all down to 10 hours a week untill they quit or cannot afford to work anymore.
24 September 2008
at 6:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
Permalink
imagold (Anonymous) says…
Ahhh, the computerized age. I don't think the inventor did us any favors.