Govt reduces toll charges by up to 50% on national highways with bridges, tunnels

This move will lower travelling cost for motorists. (Courtesy: PTI file photo)

The government has reduced the toll charges for particular sections of National Highways (NH) by up to 50 percent. Those highways which have structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches will see the reduced toll rates. This move will lower travelling cost for motorists.

"The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser," said the notification dated July 2, 2025.

'Structure' means an independent bridge, tunnel or flyover or elevated highway.

User charges at fee plazas on National Highways are collected as per NH Fee Rules, 2008. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made amendment to 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll charges.

To explain the new toll charges, the ministry has cited examples.

In one of the examples, it said that if a section of a national highway has a total length of 40 kilometers, comprising of structure alone, the minimum length shall be computed: '10 x 40 (ten times length of structure) = 400 kilometers or five times the total length of section of a national highway = 5 x 40 = 200 kilometers'.

"User fee shall be calculated on the lesser length i.e. for 200 kilometers" and not 400 kilometers. In this case the user charge is only on half (50 per cent) of the road length.

According the extant rules, users pay ten times the regular toll for every kilometre of structure on national highways.

A senior official of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) said the existing toll calculation method was meant to offset higher construction cost associated with such infrastructure.

The revised notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways reduces the toll rate for stretches such as flyovers, underpasses and tunnels up to 50 per cent, the official said.

(With agency inputs)