Toll Rates Slashed By Up To 50 Per Cent On National Highways With Bridges, Tunnels And Flyovers: Report

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has announced a major revision in toll charges for national highways featuring structures such as bridges, tunnels, flyovers, and elevated corridors, the Hindustan Times reported.

The new rules, notified on 2 July, reduce toll rates on these stretches by up to 50 per cent.

The changes come through an amendment to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, introducing a new formula for toll calculation.

According to the new rules, the toll rate on such structured highway stretches will now be determined based on a lesser of two values:

• Ten times the length of the structure(s) added to the rest of the highway section (excluding the structures), or

• Five times the total length of the section, including the structure(s).

"'Structure' means an independent bridge, tunnel, flyover or elevated highway," the notification clarified.

For example, on a 40 kilometre highway section entirely composed of structural elements, the toll was previously calculated at 400 km (10 x 40 km). Now, it will be based on 200 km (5 x 40 km), effectively halving the charge.

Currently, motorists pay tolls at a rate ten times higher for every kilometre of structured segments due to the elevated construction and maintenance costs. The revised formula aims to ease this burden.

Also Read: Bihar Electoral Roll Revision: Nearly 1.5 Crore Households Covered In First Phase, Over 87 Per Cent Enumeration Forms Distributed