No Auburn exit on Kansas Turnpike is a 'deadly problem,' so legislators will draft letter

A year after seeing no apparent progress toward building a new Kansas Turnpike exit near Auburn, Shawnee County legislators will again write a letter with the hope it spurs action this time.

The 11 members of the Shawnee County delegation in the Legislature met last week and voted to draft a letter to send to the governor, Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas Turnpike Authority and Shawnee County Commission.

"I think we're all in agreement that's a huge issue," said Sen. Brenda Dietrich, R-Topeka.

"We will be very persistent," said Auburn City Council president Dorothy Bryan. "We are not letting off the gas now."

Deadly crash involving Girl Scouts brought more attention to issue

Auburn Mayor Mark Brown said he has been working on getting an interchange for more than 20 years.

"This isn't a political issue," he said. "This is a safety issue first and foremost, and secondly it's an economic issue."

Shawnee County Commissioner Bill Riphahn told legislators an Interstate 335 interchange is a top priority for the county. He said it would be an "economic boon" to the Auburn area and both Shawnee and Osage counties.

"Unfortunately, the thing that came up last year when we had the accident out there and we lost the lives of three little girls out there, it's now a safety issue, too," he said.

The idea of a turnpike exit from I-335 near Auburn gained more attention last fall after a deadly crash. Amber Peery, the driver of the vehicle, was bound over for trial last week in Shawnee County District Court.

"We lost three little Girl Scouts and families were destroyed and a truck driver who can't close his eyes without seeing the three little girls that were destroyed," Bryan said. "This is a common occurrence. This is the fact that people turn around on the turnpike because they went the wrong way."

Turnpike has no exit between Topeka and near Emporia

The turnpike doesn't have an exit southwest of Topeka until Admire, near Emporia.

"Once you go through the turnstile there in south Topeka, you either have a choice of going towards (Wichita) or Kansas City," Riphahn said. "If you make a mistake, then you have to drive a long ways down KTA before you can make a U-turn. That was the problem with that accident. That's the longest stretch between Wichita and Topeka without an interchange. We'd love to see some help on that."

"Being someone that travels to Emporia on a regular basis, I can't tell you how many times I've cursed at myself that I didn't check the gas when on my way back," said Rep. Kirk Haskins, D-Topeka.

Bryan said it's not uncommon for people to make illegal U-turns through the barrier dividing the northbound and southbound traffic.

"People turn around all the time between the barriers because they turn and go south when they should have gone north," she said. "Happens all the time. It's a problem; it's a deadly problem."

City and county officials also hope an interchange will reduce traffic on the busy Auburn Road.

Brown said the city engineer has estimated a reduction of 30% of the morning traffic on the road if a turnpike entrance and exit were built for people commuting to Topeka or elsewhere.

"It would help take a little pressure off of Auburn Road," Riphahn said.

Auburn turnpike exit project needs funding

"I've worked with the engineering firms, and we've had alternatives of how to build this and location and all that," Riphahn said. "We have a good location, a good design. I think it'd just be a wonderful thing for that area."

What they don't have figured out is money.

"It's time now to start pushing for funding," Brown said.

Riphahn said a years-old estimate was $14 million, but it's likely about 20% higher now. Bryan put the maximum cost at $20 million.

Riphahn said federal highway money is difficult to use for a project like this because the turnpike has toll booths bringing in revenue.

"The feds do not want to fund something like that," he said. "So we're kind of between a rock and a hard spot."

Jason Alatidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: No funding found yet for proposed Kansas Turnpike exit at Auburn