Long queues at toll plazas set to ease

Mysore/Mysuru: In a bid to ensure smoother traffic flow on the access-controlled Mysuru-Bengaluru National Highway-275 and to ease congestion at the existing toll plazas, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has begun implementing a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system.

The implementation process has commenced, and the project is expected to be completed by June this year, NHAI Project Director Milind Wabale told Star of Mysore.

Thousands of vehicles use the highway every day and during weekends and long holidays, traffic congestion often stretches for over two kilometres at the three toll plazas along the stretch.

Under the MLFF system, traditional toll booths will be replaced with overhead gantries equipped with satellite-based GPS technology, high-performance RFID FASTag readers and Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Barrier-free toll collection system

The new system will automatically identify vehicles and deduct toll charges at high speeds without requiring vehicles to stop, thereby eliminating long queues at toll plazas.

“The system proposed for the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway is based on the MLFF tolling model successfully implemented at the Choryasi Fee Plaza on NH-48 in Gujarat. It is a barrier-free toll collection system where transactions are carried out through FASTag reading and vehicle registration number identification using high-performance RFID readers and ANPR cameras. Vehicles will no longer need to stop at toll plazas,” Wabale said.

At present, toll plazas are located at Gananguru in Srirangapatna taluk (Mysuru entry) of Mandya district in the Nidaghatta-Mysuru section, Seshagirihalli in Bengaluru South taluk (near the Bengaluru entry point) in the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta section and at Kaniminike near Bidadi.

IHMCL initiative

Wabale said the project is an initiative of the Indian Highway Management Company Limited. The MLFF system will be installed ahead of the existing toll plazas, enabling automatic deduction of toll charges from FASTag accounts without vehicles passing through toll booths. The system has demonstrated an efficiency rate of 95 percent, he added.

“As part of the project, new FASTag readers, high-definition vehicle registration number speed readers, ANPR cameras and GPS-based tracking devices will be installed on overhead gantries. All these devices will work in coordination, transmitting signals to the backend systems for toll deduction,” he explained.

Each lane will be equipped with two ANPR cameras, two high-definition speed readers and GPS trackers. Once installation is completed at the three toll plazas, trial runs will begin, while the existing toll booths will remain operational for some time.

“Based on system accuracy, user compliance and enforcement requirements, the MLFF system will eventually be implemented fully, paving the way for the phased removal of physical toll booths,” Wabale said. He also clarified that there will be no fresh changes in the toll rates for the new system.