Toll Slashed On Elevated Highways: Here’s Everything You Need To Know

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has announced a significant reduction in toll fees for structured portions of National Highways. These include elevated corridors, tunnels, bridges, and flyovers, which previously attracted much higher user fees compared to plain road stretches.

This change substantially reduces the payable fee, with toll rates slashed by up to 50% on stretches where bridges, tunnels, or elevated structures make up a large portion of the highway.

Earlier, tolls on these structured sections were calculated at ten times the base toll rate to recover high construction costs. However, under a new formula introduced by the Ministry, tolls will now be calculated based on the lesser of two derived values: either ten times the length of the structured segment plus the length of the plain road, or five times the total length of the highway section. This formula will drastically lower the toll amount payable for structure-heavy corridors.

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For example, if a highway section spans 50 kilometres, with 35 kilometres of it consisting of elevated roads and 15 kilometres of plain highway, the two possible values for toll calculation would be: (10 × 35) + 15 = 365 km, or 5 × 50 = 250 km. In this case, the toll will now be charged based on 250 kilometres instead of 365, effectively reducing the payable fee by over 30%.

This move is particularly beneficial to commercial vehicles, which typically pay four to five times the toll paid by private cars. While private owners can purchase an annual pass for ₹3,000 to minimise costs, commercial operators have long sought relief on high toll routes, especially those with dense infrastructure.

The Ministry stated that the revised toll system will be implemented in stages. For existing public-funded toll plazas, the rule will take effect from the next scheduled toll revision.

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At new public-funded plazas, it will apply from the start of operations. For fee plazas operated by private concessionaires under public-private partnership (PPP) models, the new rule will be enforced after the expiration of existing concession agreements.

Under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, the revised rates now mean that a one-way car trip across these structured sections would cost approximately ₹292, calculated at ₹1.46 per kilometre. This is expected to offer substantial savings, especially on frequently used or long-haul routes.

The government’s decision is expected to improve cost-efficiency in freight transport, boost compliance at toll plazas, and make highway usage more economical for millions of daily commuters.