Overland Park, Kan., February 17, 2026 – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly joined Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03), the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and state and local officials today to cut a ceremonial ribbon marking the opening of Kansas’ first express lanes on the U.S. 69 Express corridor.

The express lanes are scheduled to open to traffic on Saturday, February 21.

The opening of 69Express is the culmination of more than 20 years of collaboration, advocacy and planning. Chamber and city leaders worked for years to advocate for the project with state and federal transportation officials, including coordinating a visit to Overland Park by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to discuss the need for federal engagement.

Overland Park Chamber President Tracey Osborne Oltjen said executing this project was critical to Overland Park’s continued success. “As our community continues to grow to the south and as businesses follow the residents, U.S. 69 needs to be equipped to serve the community into the future. This project accomplishes that and positions us well for continued prosperity.”

“We value our role as a community connector,” said Osborne Oltjen. “The Chamber takes very seriously our role in bringing strategic partners together to plan for the future needs of our community, and the opening of 69 Express is yet another example of how our work helps shape the community’s future.”

KDOT’s $572 million design-build project, known as 69Express, included reconstruction of U.S. 69 in Overland Park, widening the highway with added express lanes – one northbound and one southbound between 103rd and 151st Streets – and interchange improvements at U.S. 69/167th Street.

69Express was funded by federal, state and local sources and completed as part of Kansas’ IKE Program. The project was among the first selected for funding under the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program (IKE), a 10-year bipartisan initiative to modernize and expand Kansas’ transportation infrastructure.

“The launch of Kansas’ first express lanes is a huge win for infrastructure in our state,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This project represents a forward-thinking approach to reducing congestion immediately while building a foundation for Johnson County’s future economic growth.’’

“This is a big day for our community,” said Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03). “Anyone who lives, works, or drives through Johnson County knows the frustration of sitting in traffic on U.S. 69. Too many families have also felt the pain of crashes on the highway. These new lanes will ease congestion, make travel safer, and give thousands of Kansans a more predictable, reliable commute every day. I’m proud of this team effort.”

“69Express is the result of successful collaboration between our federal, state, and local partners,” said Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed. “Together, we’re implementing express lanes as a sustainable congestion-management solution to provide drivers with reliable travel times today and as traffic grows in the future.”

More than 80,000 vehicles use the 69Express corridor each day, with traffic volume expecting to increase by more than 30% by 2050. The express lanes will allow KDOT to manage congestion using tolls that vary based on traffic levels and time of day to keep express lane trips congestion-free. When drivers choose to pay the toll and move into the express lanes, traffic is then reduced in the non-tolled general-purpose lanes as well.

Drivers enter and exit the express lanes at three points along U.S. 69: 103rd Street, Blue Valley Parkway and 151st Street. Dynamic messaging signs at these entry points show the current toll rate to the driver’s destination. The rates shown on the sign are for drivers with two-axle vehicles and a KTAG or compatible transponder. These drivers will pay the lowest toll rate on 69Express – 50% lower than vehicles without a KTAG.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority is KDOT’s tolling partner for 69Express. Drivers are encouraged to visit DriveKS.com, Kansas’ toll payment system, to set up their accounts and order a free KTAG for use on 69Express and all other Kansas toll facilities, as well as on compatible systems in Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida.

Additional project information is available on the 69Express project website, www.69express.org.