The KTA dismantled North Lawrence’s toll plaza on Tuesday. Crews used a large crane to lift the familiar blue roof off the plaza and set it aside before loading the toll booth onto a truck. KTA spokesperson Rachel Bell told the Journal-World in an email that once all of the structures and concrete barriers are removed, parts of Exit 204 will be repaved before crews place final traffic markers.

To the west, Exit 202 will undergo more substantial concrete pavement removal and reconstruction in the future due to deterioration of the existing concrete pavement, Bell said. The roundabouts at both exits will remain in place, and demolition of the 202 and 197 exit plazas will take place at a later date.

Drivers can expect to see crews at the toll plazas over the next several months and should watch out for workers as they would in any construction zone, Bell said. The plan to remove all of the plazas from the entire 236-mile turnpike will take approximately 18 months.

“We don’t anticipate closures, but if something comes up that will delay traffic, that will be communicated via normal communication information channels,” Bell said.

Cashless tolling began in Kansas on July 1. Drivers can go to www.driveks.com to register for a KTag transponder sticker for their vehicles and to pay the lowest toll rate for the turnpike online, while vehicles without a KTag sticker will receive bills through the mail at a higher toll rate, as the Journal-World reported.