Kansas Turnpike

The Kansas Turnpike is a road in Kansas, part of the United States. The road is a "turnpike"—a payment must be made to use it. The road is 236 miles, or 380 kilometers, long. It starts at the line between Kansas and Oklahoma, and goes to Kansas City. It runs through many important cities in Kansas, including Wichita, Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. The Kansas Turnpike is owned and repaired by the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA), which is based in Wichita.
The Kansas Turnpike was built between 1954 and 1956. It was built before the Interstate Highway System. The turnpike was not part of the Interstate System at first. However, it became part of the system in 1956. Parts of the turnpike also are parts of four Interstate Highways: I-35, I-335, I-470, and I-70.
Around 120,000 people use the Kansas Turnpike every day. KTA helps users by running a radio station about the road. It has also built places called "service areas" where people can stop and rest, and buy gasoline and things to eat. One service area has a memorial to American football coach Knute Rockne, who died near the turnpike.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority does not need tax money to pay for repairs to the road. The payments from users are used to pay for the repairs instead.