toll roads in OK & KS

[bbishop3]

Hi, we're planning a trip from TN next summer which will include AR, OK with stops near Tulsa and OK City, Wichita KS and Kansas City. How are the turnpikes - fees? any recommended work arounds or just plan for the tolls. We're staying mostly in state parks, hoping to see museums, memorials and historic sites along the way. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[UTTransplant]

We drive from our home in Iowa to Oklahoma City regularly to visit family. We use the Oklahoma PikePass. You can get it online, and it works on both Oklahoma and Kansas toll roads. It works some other places too, but I haven?t needed to investigate those. We have 2 transponders, one for the motorhome and one for the Jeep since we drive tollways in OKC without the motorhome. Oklahoma handles the combo well, but Kansas occasionally gets it wrong, so monitor your transactions and call if there is an issue.

 

[malexander]

Oklahoma TPKS are fine. The transponders work in OK, TX, & KS. Just get one for the coach, and don't worry about the trailer or toad. I live in OKC and pull trailers regularly on the TPKS with just the "sticker" in the windshield for the truck, or tow vehicle. I have a remote transponder for my motorcycle.

 

[camperAL]

Hi Bbishop3,

If you head west into Tulsa, OK., watch out for the interstate turn offs as they fade into the turnoff and you have no where to go. There is one spot heading west to Tulsa where I ran into two places that I suddenly ran out of road and almost couldn't get back on the interstate. Right after that was a car that was parked on the shoulder to run in to if  you couldn't get it stopped. Use the space in the middle of the interstate to avoid the problem.

 

[Larry N.]

If you're going through Kansas on I-70, the turnpike fees are very low between Topeka and Kansas City, and the road was decent last time I was through. I've never been on there between Topeka and Wichita, though the fees shown on the ticket are still low. And I didn't use any sort of transponder -- just picked up the ticket getting on and paid it when getting off -- couple of bucks in a car, still not bad on a motorhome (less than $10 when I went through last).

I've not been on the toll roads in Oklahoma, so can't comment on that.

 

[NMDriver]

Easiest work around is to tell google maps to "avoid tolls" in the options tab. It may take a little longer to get where you are going but I prefer the no tolls options. 

 

[SpencerPJ]

Few months back, I was in Wichita visiting my daughter.  We did some sightseeing, down to Tulsa, and up towards Salina, even west of there on I70.  All I can say, Going north on I 135 and south on 35 some very bad roads.  Concrete dipping and sagging, they were doing some grinding and grading, but I literally had to slow down a bunch to even stomach the drive.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Easiest work around is to tell google maps to "avoid tolls" in the options tab. It may take a little longer to get where you are going but I prefer the no tolls options.

I do this at times, decide if deleting tolls is worth the additional drive time.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

If you get near Hutchinson, KS be sure to stop at Cosmosphere.

We spent the better part of a day there and really enjoyed it.

 

[Isaac-1]

It really depends on your route, I drove across Kansas in 2017 driving home to Louisiana from Wyoming, and did not hit any toll roads, I stopped and saw the Cosmosphere museum in Hutchinson, then drove on across to Joplin, MO on US 400 taking the loop around Wichita.

p.s. another interesting thing to do in Hutchinson is the Stratica Salt mine museum where you descend down 600 ish feet into the mne

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

p.s. another interesting thing to do in Hutchinson is the Stratica Salt mine museum where you descend down 600 ish feet into the mine

We missed that. Will have make sure we check that out the next time we're through there.

 

[bbishop3]

Thanks for all the great advice! Think we will get the PikePass, as we've got quite a list to try to fit in 4 weeks. We will watch out for the roads also (but TN we think is the south east repository for orange barrels...we have 'em all over the place, so have a lot of experience with roads under construction and rehabilitation!)

 

[scottydl]

Easiest work around is to tell google maps to "avoid tolls" in the options tab. It may take a little longer to get where you are going but I prefer the no tolls options.

I've done this before, and oftentimes the alternative is worse than a few bucks in tolls... for an RV. I've often been redirected onto city streets that bypass the tolls (or bypass slow traffic on the road if there's construction or a crash), and have ended up driving through some pretty shady neighborhoods with pretty crappy roads. A bit unnerving when pulling our trailer and having no other option than to keep going. Almost every time I wished I just stayed on the expressway and paid the toll!

So just do your "look ahead" or pre-planning research with the mapping when RVing, since it's not as easy and U-turning or zipping off some other way if you don't like the alternate route.

 

[LarsMac]

Easiest work around is to tell google maps to "avoid tolls" in the options tab. It may take a little longer to get where you are going but I prefer the no tolls options.

Running I-70, that would not be worth the time vs. Expense.
Between Topeka and Wichita, there are a couple routes that avoid the tolls without costing a lot of miles but can take time. 
Oklahoma, I have not found a decent route that was worth the money saved by avoiding the tolls.

Pike Pass (OK) KTag (KS) and TXTag (TX) are all accepted in all three states.