TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- The top official of the Kansas Turnpike Authority is preparing to testify about Gov. Sam Brownback's proposal to merge the agency with the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Turnpike Authority president and CEO Michael Johnston was scheduled to appear Thursday at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee.

The authority is responsible for operating and maintaining the 236-mile toll road that stretches from Kansas City, Kan., to the Oklahoma border south of Wichita.

Brownback has estimated the state could save $15 million in each of the next two years by combining KDOT and the Turnpike Authority.