The secretary of transportation and the Kansas turnpike authority are hereby authorized and empowered to contract with each other, by the terms of which contract or contracts the secretary may undertake: (1) To provide personnel and equipment, either of the department of transportation or consulting or contracting firms, required in making any traffic and cost studies or surveys or origin-destination studies necessary preliminary to financing by the Kansas turnpike authority of any particular toll project undertaken as authorized by law, and to do such work; and

(2) to provide personnel and equipment required, and to do any engineering, geological work, soils testing or materials testing which may be required by the Kansas turnpike authority either preliminary to the financing of any particular toll project authorized by law or which may be required after such financing and during the construction of such project. The charges for services contemplated by such project shall be made by the secretary of transportation on the basis of the total and actual cost to the department of all wages, salaries, expenses, equipment rental, damage to equipment, depreciation or other charges and expenses chargeable to the services to be rendered to the Kansas turnpike authority, except that the total amount of any credit and funds advanced hereunder shall not at any one time exceed the sum of $250,000.