NEW DELHI: To ensure seamless movement through the fee plazas on the national highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will be monitoring the waiting time in real time at the selected 100 toll gates. The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by the Authority, has developed a GIS-based software for ‘real-time monitoring’ for the purpose.
The live monitoring and tracking system will help to ensure free flow of traffic and a hassle-free tolling experience for the highway users at the fee plazas, said officials.
“In addition, the software will provide updates related to current weather conditions and information about local festivals, enabling NHAI officials to take pre-emptive measures to manage the traffic load and decongest the toll plazas,” said officials.
The toll plazas for monitoring have been selected based on congestion feedback received through the 1033 National Highway helpline. The monitoring service will be extended to more toll plazas in a phased manner.
Toll Plazas have been mapped in web-based software to the respective NHAI field offices across the country. The software will help NHAI officials gain insights by providing comparative traffic condition analysis on hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis for the traffic queue and congestion.
Apart from providing the name and location of the toll plaza, the software will share details related to the live status of queue length in meters, total waiting time and vehicle speed at Toll Plaza. It will also provide congestion alert and lane distribution recommendations if the queue of vehicles at a toll plaza is more than the prescribed limit, the officials added.
Recently, the NHAI withdrew the provision of allowing vehicles to cross toll plazas without paying charges if the waiting time is more than 10 seconds or the queue goes beyond 100 metres in any lane at a toll plaza. The provision was part of the policy guidelines notified in 2021 for management of toll plaza.
The NHAI is entrusted with the maintenance and management of the National Highways (NHs) of about 70,000 km length of the total network of 1,50,000 km. It is mandated to collect user fees (tolls) on these highways in accordance with the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. At present, User fees are collected for approximately 45,000 km of NHs and Expressways. There are about 1,200 toll plazas, which are maintained by either the NHAI or concessionaires.