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The guidelines will apply to upcoming and ongoing national highway projects, enabling toll collection without requiring vehicles to stop at toll booths.
The Ministry said the initiative aims to eliminate traffic queues and waiting time, reduce fuel consumption at toll plazas and make highway journeys safer and more seamless. "The guidelines prescribe uniform requirements for toll plaza layouts, lane configuration, gantries, road infrastructure, lighting, signage and supporting facilities," the Ministry stated. The policy circular specifies standardised layouts for barrier-less toll plazas across different national highway configurations, including the number of tolling lanes, placement of gantries and associated road safety infrastructure. "With vehicles being tolled without the need to stop at physical barriers, the number of lanes required at a toll plaza has been rationalised in comparison to conventional toll plazas," the release noted. The Ministry said this would facilitate more efficient utilisation of available space and improve traffic movement through tolling zones. On implementation, projects at the Detailed Project Report (DPR) stage will incorporate the new design requirements, while projects already awarded or under construction will adopt the changes through applicable contractual provisions. NHAI field offices have been directed to incorporate the prescribed requirements in upcoming projects and facilitate their adoption in ongoing projects. The guidelines also emphasise road safety and user convenience through adequate lighting, advance information and guidance for highway users. The Ministry said appropriate signage and Electronic Variable Message Signs (VMS) would be provided at toll plazas to improve visibility, inform motorists about tolling zones and ensure smooth vehicle movement. The framework also provides for administrative buildings and maintenance centres, along with operational and maintenance infrastructure for efficient toll plaza management. Earlier, NHAI released comprehensive guidelines for planning and designing high-speed access-controlled national highways, other than expressways. Those guidelines aimed to bring uniformity to the preparation of DPRs for upcoming high-speed highway corridors, improve consistency in technical standards and strengthen road safety. The Ministry said the standardised design framework for MLFF toll plazas represents an important step towards establishing uniform barrier-less tolling infrastructure and improving the overall efficiency of toll operations across the country. (ANI)
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