WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Turnpike officials say summer traffic on the nearly 60-year-old freeway rose more than 6 percent this year to an all-time high.

The Wichita Eagle reports the turnpike collected slightly more than $33 million in tolls this summer, compared with $30 million collected last year.

The Kansas Turnpike said Thursday that traffic over the recent Labor Day weekend was 8.5 percent higher than in the same period in 2014, and that traffic increased every month this summer compared with last year.

July was the highest travel month with more than 3.5 million vehicles using the turnpike.

Kansas Turnpike Authority chief Steve Hewitt says lower fuel prices have contributed to the increase in travel on the 236-mile highway, which opened 59 years ago.