Delhi's Dwarka Expressway to get 'free flow' toll system for smooth rides

The National Highways Authority of India is working to implement a 'free flow tolling' system on the Dwarka Expressway in New Delhi - a move that will eliminate physical toll plazas

The Dwarka Expressway in New Delhi will soon implement a ‘free flow tolling’ system which would eliminate physical toll plazas. The system will utilise advanced FASTag readers and high-power cameras installed on overhead gantries to automatically deduct tolls from vehicles moving at speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour, The Times of India reported on Monday.

Set to be introduced in the next few months, the Dwarka Expressway is poised to become the country’s first highway without physical toll booths. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working on the proposal for the 28-km expressway to pave the way for satellite-based tolling and enhance compliance.

One of the key benefits of such a system is the elimination of traffic congestion. Though gantry-based tolling is being done on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, there is a toll plaza in Meerut to check the user fee payment. In this case, tolling gantries will be installed at the Delhi-Gurgaon border, the report said, adding that toll charges are yet to be finalised.

NHAI sends proposal to recover unpaid toll dues

The NHAI is also exploring passive mechanisms to recover unpaid tolls. For this purpose, the agency has urged the transport ministry to update the ‘Vahan’ system to streamline the penalty recovering process. It has proposed adding a section titled “unpaid user fee due” to the online portal, similar to the display for unpaid traffic challans. 

To boost accountability, the proposal aims to penalise vehicle owners by prohibiting them from transferring registration, obtaining a No Objection Certificate, or receiving a fitness certificate until the dues are cleared. Owners will have seven days to either pay the outstanding amounts or raise objections to the notice, The Times of India report mentioned.

Under the proposed satellite-based tolling system, seen as a future solution to tolling systems, Global Navigation Satellite System will be used to track a vehicle’s movement to calculate tolls based on the distance travelled.