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NEW DELHI: Frequent travellers on India’s expanding national highway network may soon notice lighter toll bills on routes featuring extensive bridges, tunnels, flyovers, and elevated corridors.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is implementing a revised toll calculation approach following an amendment by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, designed to address longstanding concerns about disproportionately high fees on complex infrastructure stretches.
This change introduces a comparative formula that selects the lower chargeable distance between two options, potentially trimming tolls by up to 40% on qualifying sections while still allowing for the recovery of higher construction and maintenance expenses associated with these engineering marvels.
Understanding the Shift in Toll Computation
Previously, tolls on sections with bridges, tunnels, or elevated roads treated each kilometre of such structures as equivalent to 10 kilometres of standard highway. This multiplier accounted for the significantly elevated costs of building and upkeep but often resulted in commuters paying premium rates even for relatively short distances covered on these features.
Under the new rules, notified on July 1 through amendments to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, authorities must evaluate two methods and apply the one yielding the smaller tollable distance:
• Ten times the length of qualifying structures (bridges, tunnels, flyovers, or elevated sections longer than 60 metres) plus the length of the remaining ordinary road.
• Five times the total length of the entire highway section.
The toll payable will be calculated using whichever of the two figures is lower. Structures 60 metres or shorter are excluded from separate treatment. NHAI has instructed its field offices to update toll notifications accordingly.
For illustration, consider a 40-km highway stretch with 30 km of structures and 10 km of regular road. The old approach might have calculated a tollable distance of 310 km. The new method caps it at the lower figure, 200 km in this case delivering meaningful savings. In scenarios with fewer structures, the reduction is more modest but still present where applicable.
Who Will Benefit?
Motorists regularly using routes with prominent engineering features, such as major river bridges, mountain tunnels, or urban elevated corridors, stand to gain the most. These projects form the backbone of India’s infrastructure push, improving connectivity, reducing travel times, and enhancing safety, but their costs have traditionally translated into higher user fees.
The adjustment reflects a growing emphasis on user-friendly policies amid India’s ambitious highway development programme. With thousands of kilometres of new expressways and upgrades underway, ensuring tolls remain reasonable helps sustain public support and encourages greater use of formal highway networks over congested alternatives.
India has witnessed rapid growth in its national highway infrastructure, with a focus on world-class facilities including tunnels through challenging terrain and elevated sections in densely populated areas. While these developments have slashed journey durations and boosted economic activity, toll-related feedback has highlighted the need for equitable pricing.
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