Topeka ? For the third time in less than three years, Frito-Lay is expanding its plant in Topeka.

The planned $53 million expansion was announced Friday through the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, which says the project will save 40 jobs that might have been lost. Frito-Lay has about 840 workers at the plant.

The latest expansion involves a high-rise addition for a 70-foot automated storage and retrieval system.

Numerous other improvements will be made at the same time.

A large addition was completed in 2007 to make Frito-Lay’s whole-grain SunChips.