Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway NH-275: Phase-1 toll collection by Feb. 15

Works to install commuter-friendly sign boards, direction, destination signals soon

Mysore/Mysuru: The first phase of the toll collection on the 118-km 10-lane Access-Controlled Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway (NH-275) will begin by Feb. 15 on the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch.

The Expressway project has two packages — the first one runs from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta in Maddur taluk for around 56 km and the second package, which is 61 km long, connects Nidaghatta to Mysuru.

“The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will start levying the toll on the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch by Feb. 15. The Phase-2 of the toll between Nidaghatta and Mysuru will be implemented later,” Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha told Star of Mysore this morning.

Before the toll is levied, passenger-friendly provision of traffic signs (including Variable Message Signs) and destination and direction boards will be installed, the MP added.

While one toll plaza has come up at Ganaguru after Srirangapatna near K. Shettihalli, the second toll plaza has been set up at Kaniminike near Kumbalgodu (Bidadi). At Kaniminike, there are two plazas for onward and return journeys and tolls will be levied. In all, there are three toll plazas but the toll will be collected only at two places, NHAI officers said.

11 gates at each toll plaza

Each toll plaza has 11 gates to facilitate faster access, entry and exit and the plazas will be operational with all high-tech toll systems and FASTag facilities by the time the road works are completed, said NHAI sources.

Commuters on the Expressway said that the works on the toll plazas have been completed and signboards have been set up indicating the prices for all categories of vehicles. “However, the rates for travelling have not been mentioned. The toll plazas are wide and will not in any way hold up the traffic,” a commuter who travelled between the two cities yesterday said.

NHAI officers said that the toll rates for all category vehicles will be decided after taking into consideration the total project cost and the daily number of passing vehicles.

“We have guidelines to levy toll and as per rules, there has to be a toll for every 60 km and the average fee is Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 2 per km. Also, the toll fee is decided on the basis of the number of lanes, number of bridges and underpasses on any Highway. This Expressway has nine major bridges, 42 minor bridges, 64 underpasses, 11 overpasses, 4 Road-Over-Bridges (ROBs) and 5 bypasses” the officers added.

Direction signboards

“The NHAI has set standards for these sign boards and they should command attention from all categories of road users. They should convey a clear, precise meaning in a simple form and must be correct and uniform throughout. The placement of the signboards should give adequate time for a proper response,” NHAI officers said.

In addition, the signboards must attract the attention of drivers and should be legible from sufficiently far away to be read without diverting the line of sight. They will be placed in such a way that they are not obscured by other objects or vegetation, the officers added.