CHENNAI: After a gap of four years, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to resume the annual increase of vehicle user fees at Nemili (Sriperumbudur) and Chennasamudran (Walajahpet) toll plazas as widening of the 23-km stretch between Maduravoyal and Sriperumbudur on the Chennai-Bengaluru bypass is nearing completion.
Official sources said the scheduled increase of user fees at these two toll plazas on April 1 annually was halted due to the delay in completing the six-laning of the 96-km national highway from Maduravoyal to Walajahapet. The upgradation of the 23-km Maduravoyal-Sriperumbudur section has been 95% completed and is expected to be ready in the next few months. As a result, the toll operator is considering a revision of the annual user fee either this year or the next, said sources.
“The six/eight laning of the main carriageway on both sides of the NH from Maduravoyal to Sriperumbudur has been finished. The final phase of work, which includes constructing a major bridge on the service road near Chembarambakkam and minor bridges at several other locations, is expected to be completed in a few months,” an official said.
Once the service lanes are operational, the annual revision of user fees will be enforced. “The user fee will gradually be increased proportionate to the road length converted into six lanes,” explained the official. This section currently handles about two lakh vehicles daily.
In December 2020, citing the battered condition of the highway from Maduravoyal to Walajapet, the Madras High Court ordered the NHAI to only collect 50% of the fees at Nemili and Chennasamudran toll plazas. However, the court allowed the NHAI to resume full collection after necessary repairs were completed.
According to S Yuvaraj, president of the Tamil Nadu Sand Lorry Owners Federation, the 96-km Maduravoyal-Walajahpet section had only four lanes when NHAI established the Chennasamudran toll plaza in 2013. “Since then, for more than ten years, the NHAI collected user fees intended for a six-lane road from motorists except for the period when the fees were reduced by the High Court. It was one of the most poorly maintained highways in the country. The ongoing widening works between Sriperumbudur and Walajahpet are still unfinished. Hence, the toll fee revision should not be implemented for the 23-km section,” he added.
Furthermore, the proposed construction of flyovers at four junctions -- Parivakkam, Nazarathpet, Thirumazhisai, and Thandalam -- as part of the NH widening project has been dropped, said official sources from NHAI.
“An elevated corridor from Maduravoyal to Sriperumbudur has been proposed as an extension of the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway. The widening works between Sriperumbudur and Walajahpet are progressing rapidly. The construction of major bridges is slightly delayed due to issues in sourcing materials and other challenges,” the official added.