The government cuts toll rates by 50% for highway structures | Fusion - WeRIndia

In a significant move benefiting commercial vehicle owners and transporters, the central government has slashed toll rates by up to 50% for certain sections of National Highways.

The revised toll applies specifically to stretches that include bridges, tunnels, flyovers, and elevated roads.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, through a notification issued on July 2, announced a major revision to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.

The update introduces a new formula for toll calculation, replacing the previous system that often resulted in disproportionately high tolls for structure-heavy routes.

Under the old system, toll charges for structures were calculated at 10 times the normal rate per kilometre, leading to steep costs on stretches made entirely of structures.

The revised formula now offers a more balanced approach. The toll will be calculated based on the lesser of the following two values:

• Ten times the length of the structure(s) plus the length of the remaining section, or
• Five times the total length of the entire highway section.

Here is an example:

If a 40 km highway stretch consists only of structures like tunnels or flyovers:

• Option 1: Toll based on 400 km (10 × 40 km)
• Option 2: Toll based on 200 km (5 × 40 km)
• The lower value, 200 km, will be used to calculate the fee.

This change brings an effective 50% reduction in toll rates for such routes.

According to a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official, the update was necessary to recover construction costs for complex infrastructure without overcharging users.

Structures like tunnels and flyovers cost significantly more to build, but the earlier toll model led to excessive user fees.

The new formula ensures fair pricing, especially for logistics and transport businesses that frequently use these routes.

The government sees this as a step toward improving the ease of doing business, lowering transit costs, and promoting smoother, more affordable highway travel across India.

Image Credit: TeshTesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Road_Toll_Plaza_National_Highway_11_India_March_2015.jpg