The Kansas turnpike authority is hereby authorized and directed to study the feasibility of constructing a toll road or turnpike project to commence in the general vicinity of the city of Leon in Butler county; thence proceeding in an easterly and southeasterly direction, generally described by state highway 96, to the vicinity of the juncture of said highway 96 and state highway 39 to the north of and near the city of Fredonia in Wilson county.

1. (a) An estimate of the total cost of such project, including those items defined as costs by K.S.A. 68-2093;
2. (b) A determination of the extent to which the project can be financed by the investment of private funds in revenue bonds issued for the construction of such project;
3. (c) The interest rate at which any revenue bonds authorized could be issued;
4. (d) A projection of the potential traffic volume on such project;
5. (e) An estimate of the amount of tolls and other revenues to be derived from the project which would be required to finance or guarantee the financing of such project solely from said tolls and revenues;
6. (f) An estimate of the cost differential between the use of automated toll plazas and toll houses operated by employees of the Kansas turnpike authority;
7. (g) An estimate of the cost differential between the construction of such toll road or project as a two-lane road or highway and as a four-lane road or highway;
8. (h) An estimate of the revenues differential which would be derived from the operation of such toll road or project if constructed as a two-lane road or highway or as a four-lane road or highway; and

9. (i) Such other data deemed necessary by the authority for a determination of the project's feasibility.

   For the purpose of conducting such study, the Kansas turnpike authority is hereby authorized to employ such consulting engineers, traffic engineers, legal and financial experts and such other employees and agents as deemed necessary, and the authority is hereby appropriated and authorized to spend not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) from the state highway fund to finance the cost of such study. Such expenditures may be made during the period from the effective date of this act until December 31, 1979, and such expenditures shall not be subject to any expenditure limitation established by law on the state highway fund. Twenty-five percent (25%) of all expenditures from the appropriation made by this section shall be charged as expenditures for construction in highway district IV and seventy-five percent (75%) of all expenditures from such appropriation shall be charged as expenditures for construction in highway district V.

   The feasibility study required herein shall be completed by December 31, 1979, and the authority shall submit a report of the findings and recommendations thereon to the governor and the 1980 session of the legislature.

   If the Kansas turnpike authority shall find that the construction of such project is feasible and shall recommend that such project be constructed, the expenditures made by the authority in conducting the feasibility study required herein shall be regarded as a part of the cost of such project and shall be reimbursed to the state treasurer, for credit to the state highway fund, out of the proceeds of the revenue bonds issued to pay the cost of such project.

The study of the feasibility of such project shall be based upon the use of existing right-of-way where possible, and in addition shall include, but not be limited to:

L. 1979, ch. 210, § 1; L. 1979, ch. 33, § 46; May 18.