No more land acquisition for toll plazas: Future highway tolls to collect tolls from moving vehicles through overhead cameras, eliminating the need to build physical toll booths

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has made Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling mandatory for all future National Highway projects, including eligible projects where construction is already underway. Under the revised design, electronic toll collection equipment will be installed on overhead gantries instead of conventional toll booths.

The new design limits toll plazas to a maximum of eight tolling lanes. It will use high-performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify moving vehicles and deduct toll charges through FASTag. According to an official, the arrangement will remove the need to acquire additional land specifically for toll plazas.

Why is NHAI changing toll plaza designs?

Several toll plazas on six-lane and eight-lane National Highways, particularly those near major cities, currently have more than 20 lanes. In some cases, the number goes up to 32 lanes.


Under conventional tolling, vehicles pass through individual toll booths, where toll payments are collected. More lanes are required to handle traffic and clear queues at busy toll plazas.

The revised design will replace this arrangement with electronic toll collection equipment mounted on overhead gantries. Vehicles will be identified while moving through the tolling point, without having to stop at individual booths.

An official said the new arrangement would mean there was no practical need to acquire additional land for toll plazas.

How will the new free-flow tolling system work?

The new system will use two technologies to identify vehicles:

• RFID readers: High-performance Radio Frequency Identification readers mounted on overhead gantries will detect FASTag-equipped vehicles.
• ANPR cameras: Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras will identify vehicles through their registration numbers.

The equipment will identify vehicles in motion and facilitate deduction of the applicable toll through FASTag.

NHAI has estimated that each tolling lane will handle around 600 vehicles per hour under the revised design.

An additional over-dimension or spare lane will also be provided to handle emergencies and vehicles requiring special handling.

What are the new toll plaza design requirements?

The revised circular specifies infrastructure and safety requirements for toll plazas using MLFF technology.

The main requirements include:

• A maximum of eight tolling lanes.
• An additional over-dimension or spare lane.
• A minimum six-metre clearance for overhead gantries carrying toll collection equipment.
• Advance signage for approaching motorists.
• Variable message signs approximately one kilometre before the toll plaza.
• Adequate high-mast lighting.
• Location of toll plazas on straight stretches of highways wherever feasible.

These specifications will form part of the revised toll plaza design for applicable National Highway projects.

Will the new rule apply to highways already under construction?

NHAI's revised policy will apply to projects at different stages of development.

For projects still at the detailed project report (DPR) stage, the new toll plaza layout will be incorporated into the bidding documents.

For projects that have already been awarded or are under construction, the revised design will be adopted through changes in the scope of work, provided construction of the toll plaza has not started.

NHAI has directed its regional officers, project implementation units and DPR consultants to incorporate the new provisions into upcoming projects and ensure their adoption in ongoing projects wherever applicable.

What happens to existing toll plaza guidelines?

The revised policy supersedes the earlier toll plaza design guidelines for four-lane and wider National Highways.

However, two-lane highways with paved shoulders will continue to follow the existing tolling system.

The new provisions cover future National Highway projects and eligible ongoing projects where toll plaza construction has not started. The circular does not prescribe an automatic conversion of all existing operational toll plazas to the MLFF system.