The Kansas Turnpike is long. , the Kansas Turnpike has 22
interchanges and two barrier
toll plazas. the same numbering system used by the majority of US states for their Interstate Highways as well. After passing the
Bonner Springs interchange, exit numbers change to match the mileage of
I-70 east from the
Colorado border, which is also used on I-70 west of the turnpike. The Kansas Turnpike begins at the Oklahoma state line north of
Braman, Oklahoma. This is also the point at which I-35 crosses from
Kay County to
Sumner County. The turnpike proceeds due north from the state line, with no interchanges for its first in Kansas.), which serves
US-166. US-166 heads east to
Arkansas City and west to US-81 at South Haven. This interchange is a four-ramp
folded diamond with ramps in the southeast and northwest quadrants. It has no toll plazas, as it lies south of the southern barrier toll. Northbound traffic must exit at US-166 to avoid paying a toll. Initially, the interchange provided only a southbound exit and northbound entrance, forcing drivers who did not wish to pay a toll to leave I-35 in Oklahoma. By 1976, the other two ramps had been added.), serving
US-160, which heads west to Wellington, the county seat of Sumner County, and east to
Winfield, the seat of adjoining
Cowley County. It is the first of many trumpet interchanges serving the surface road via a connector road with a toll plaza. When the turnpike first opened, the US-160 interchange was a reverse
diamond with four loop ramps, so that all traffic using the interchange had to pass under the bridge and thus through the toll plaza. The new configuration was built . The freeway takes a brief jog to the northeast before crossing over a
Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line southeast of
Riverdale. In the
median at mile 26 is the
Belle Plaine Service Area. North of the service plaza, the highway bridges the
Ninnescah River and then
K-55/East 90th Avenue North. No interchange is present to allow turnpike travelers to connect to the K-55.), which connects to
K-53/East 119th Street South via a trumpet ramp, just east of the west end of K-53 at US-81. The interchange was built . It was reconstructed in 2011 to serve the
Kansas Star Casino with
roundabouts on each side of the flyover. The east roundabout directs traffic to K-53. The west roundabout directs traffic to the casino. There is now a toll booth on the casino side of the intersection as well as the one on the entrance to K-53. This interchange straddles the Sumner–
Sedgwick county line. Now in
Wichita proper, the highway reaches exit 42 (South Wichita), which is the south end of
I-135. I-135 heads north through Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, toward
Salina; US-81 joins at the first interchange and
I-235 begins at the second. The interchange is a simple trumpet with I-135, and opened in 1956 with the turnpike, but the connector ended at 47th Street (now US-81) until . After passing exit 42, the turnpike curves away from US-81, turning northeast toward El Dorado and Emporia.) is a trumpet connection to
K-15/Southeast Boulevard and Turnpike Drive in southern Wichita. It opened in 1956 as one of the original interchanges. As the highway continues northeast through Wichita, it comes to exit 50 (East Wichita Exit 53, the final Wichita exit, is a trumpet connection to the
K-96 freeway. The connector road junctions K-96 at a four-ramp
partial cloverleaf interchange and ends at North 127th Street East. The interchange opened along with the nearby piece of K-96. East of exit 53, the turnpike passes into
Butler County. Exit 57 (
Andover The turnpike then crosses the
Whitewater River southwest of the
Towanda Service Area in the median at mile 65.), a trumpet connection to
K-254 just east of its junction with
K-196. The connector originally directly intersected K-254, North of El Dorado, exit 76 (El Dorado) connects the Kansas Turnpike to
US-77/North Main Street via a trumpet ramp. It opened . After passing through El Dorado, the Kansas Turnpike crosses the northernmost arms of
El Dorado Lake. This marks the turnpike's entry into the
Flint Hills, a band of hills in eastern Kansas. The turnpike does not leave this region completely until it reaches Topeka. As the highway continues northeast past El Dorado Lake, it runs roughly parallel to the
Walnut River to the west, which feeds the reservoir, and
K-177 to the east.), a diamond interchange, providing a connector to the state highway. The interchange was not present when the turnpike opened in 1956 but was built soon after as an east-facing folded diamond with two separate toll plazas. Near this interchange, the turnpike crosses the Walnut River. Other than these two service exits, there are no interchanges within Chase County; upon leaving it, the turnpike passes into
Lyon County.). At this trumpet interchange,
I-35 leaves the turnpike to head east through Emporia, the
county seat of Lyon County, on its way northeast to
Kansas City via
Ottawa. The interchange, as opened in 1956 with the original turnpike, connected directly to
US-50 at Overlander Street; In 2005, the KTA approved reconstruction of the Emporia interchange to improve connections to US-50, I-35, and the city of Emporia, resulting in the present configuration. This project, funded by the KTA, the
Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), and the city of Emporia, was completed in 2008.
Emporia to Topeka After the split with I-35, the Kansas Turnpike continues northeast as I-335. Nevertheless, its exits are numbered as if I-35 had continued along it. This highway exists entirely as a part of the Kansas Turnpike. Northeast of Emporia, the Emporia Service Area is in the median at mile 132. From the Admire exit, the Kansas Turnpike continues northeast, passing through the southeast corner of
Wabaunsee County and the northwestern part of
Osage County. The turnpike enters
Shawnee County and continues through rural land before it heads into the
Topeka area. Here, the roadway has an interchange that serves
I-470 and
US 75 at exit 177. At this point, I-335 ends and I-470 joins the turnpike as it passes through suburban development in the southeastern part of Topeka. In the eastern portion of the city, the highway reaches an interchange with
I-70,
US 40, and
K-4 at exits 182 and 183.), a
folded diamond interchange with the western terminus of
K-10. After this, the highway continues farther east and enters the city of
Lawrence, where it shares a diamond interchange with McDonald Drive at exit 202 (West Lawrence). McDonald Drive leads to
US 59 south of the turnpike. East of here, the highway bends east-northeasterly, crosses the Kansas River, and then intersects US 40 and US 59, which
run concurrently, at exit 204 (East Lawrence). The Kansas Turnpike then leaves Lawrence and bends to the northeast before leaving Douglas County and entering
Leavenworth. It overpasses Mud Creek before passing under
K-32. Northeast of here at mile 209, the Lawrence Service Area is in the median. The highway then travels northeast and passes through it eastern terminal toll booth. This is the final toll booth on the route traveling east, and all vehicles must pay their final toll before continuing. The turnpike then enters Bonner Springs. It crosses Wolf Creek before leaving Leavenworth County and entering
Wyandotte County. In Bonner Springs, the turnpike intersects
K-7, westbound
US 24, westbound US 40, and the southern terminus of
US 73 at exit 224 (Bonner Springs, formerly exit 223) with a trumpet interchange. This is the first free exit eastbound. The mileposts on the route switch to match those of I-70 after this interchange. US 24 and US 40 run concurrently with I-70 and the Kansas Turnpike as it heads east toward Kansas City. Exit 410 on the turnpike is a diamond interchange with North 110th Street. This interchange is located just south of the
Kansas Speedway. Just east of here, the route intersects
I-435 at exit 411. This exit uses a cloverleaf interchange with one directional ramp and
collector–distributor roads to avoid issues with traffic exiting immediately north of the turnpike. After this interchange, the highway enters Kansas City. The turnpike's first exit in the city is exit 414, a diamond interchange with North 78th Street. Next, the highway curves slightly to the northeast and intersects the
Turner Diagonal at exit 415, an interchange consisting of a half-cloverleaf interchange for the western ramps and a Y-interchange for the eastern ramps that intersects the Turner Diagonal at a trumpet interchange north of the turnpike. East of here, the route has a diamond interchange with North 57th Street at exit 417. Directly east of North 57th Street, the turnpike crosses Brenner Heights Creek. After this, the turnpike continues due east to a fully directional interchange with
I-635 at exit 418. After this interchange, the freeway bends in a southeastern direction and reaches its final exit, exit 420. This exit is a cloverleaf interchange with
US 69, which is also known as the
18th Street Expressway. At this interchange, US 69 turns east to overlap I-70, US 40, and US 24, and the highways continue east of exit 420 toward Kansas City, Missouri. ==Design==