5 questions about Kansas Turnpike video enforcement

If you travel through the K-Tag lanes on the Kansas Turnpike, a video image of your vehicle’s license plate will be recorded and the information stored.

Rachel Bell, a Kansas Turnpike Authority spokeswoman, said the authority is moving out of the pilot phase of a video toll enforcement program that was started in late 2015.

As of late June, the turnpike – a 236-mile stretch of toll highway that runs along I-35 from the Kansas-Oklahoma state line to Kansas City – now has video enforcement at 10 K-Tag lane locations.

In a series of e-mails from last month and earlier this year, Bell answered some questions about the program.

Q. What’s the latest on the implementation of video enforcement on the turnpike?

A. We have installed additional locations for a total of 10: Southern terminal (south of Wellington), south Wichita, K-96, Emporia, south Topeka, east Topeka, Lecompton, west Lawrence, east Lawrence and eastern terminal.

As we approach our first open road tolling location (eastern terminal), we are moving out of the pilot phase.

Q. What is “open road tolling”?

A. It’s a toll plaza configuration where cash customers must exit to the right side of the road. Electronic users with compatible transponders like KTA’s K-Tag (Oklahoma and Texas tags also work for turnpike access) can maintain highway speeds and be billed through their transponder when they pass under a tolling gantry that extends over the highway.

These plazas will replace the three mainline roadway barrier plazas near Kansas City, east Topeka and south of Wellington. Other plazas, like south Wichita, have video-enforced electronic lanes to aid in traffic flow, which is different than open road tolling.

Q. When vehicles in the designated lanes are being monitored, are all plates captured on video?

A. Every license plate that goes through a video-enforced electronic lane is captured. Only those travelers who do not have a valid compatible transponder that is detected in the lane will receive a video violation (using an electronic lane without a valid transponder costs travelers 1.5 times the normal KTA cash rate).

Q. Is the information that is captured shared with law enforcement or other agencies?

A. No. The images are not shared with law enforcement unless specifically and lawfully requested as part of an investigation. KTA doesn’t share information with the exception of law enforcement purposes and would maintain customer information for billing purposes and toll enforcement. The length of time that customer information could remain on file is yet to be determined.

Q. Are there any tips you can give travelers relating to video enforcement?

A. K-Tag customers should add their license plates to their accounts. This will help reduce the chance of a violation in the event their transponder doesn’t read. The license plate does not replace the transponder – customers should keep the K-Tag in their vehicle.

Also, if a customer receives a violation notice and has questions, they should follow the instructions on the statement to find out more, either online or by calling.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 7:12 AM with the headline "5 questions about Kansas Turnpike video enforcement."