Big Win for Commuters: Toll Fees on Highways with Flyovers Cut by 50%
No Registration Or Insurance Renewal For Vehicles With Unpaid Toll Dues Â
The Central government is set to roll out a major change in toll collection rules that will bring relief to daily commuters using national highways, bypasses and ring roads with heavy structural infrastructure such as flyovers, tunnels and underpasses. As per reports, the toll fee on highways that have more than 50 percent of their length covered by such structures will now be reduced by half. The new decision is expected to be notified soon.
Toll Rates to Be Halved for Structure-Heavy Roads
Currently, for every kilometre of elevated road or tunnel, toll charges are ten times higher than what is charged for a kilometre of regular highway. This high rate was put in place to help the government recover construction costs for these capital-intensive projects. However, with growing public movement between cities, especially on newly developed highways full of structures, the toll cost has become a burden for regular users.
To address this, the government has now approved a plan to slash the toll on such highways. Once notified, the toll rates will be capped at five times the regular toll instead of ten times, bringing significant savings for commuters.
This move is likely to benefit those who use structure-heavy roads like the Dwarka Expressway, which has a large number of elevated sections and flyovers. At present, a one-way trip on this expressway costs about Rs 317. But once the new toll policy is enforced, the same journey may cost around Rs 153, according to estimates.
The change in toll policy is being seen as a practical step to ease the cost burden for commuters, especially those who travel daily between cities using ring roads, national highways and bypasses. Many of these roads were developed with a high percentage of expensive structures to ease traffic and improve speed, but the cost of using them has also remained high.
Benefits for Commercial and Heavy Vehicles
The toll cut is also expected to benefit commercial transport operators and heavy vehicle users. These categories pay higher tolls by default and often bear the brunt of steep fees on elevated expressways. With the new cap in place, transporters may see reduced costs, which could indirectly help control prices in logistics and goods transport sectors as well.
