Ahmedabad/Surat: Vehicle owners in India may soon bid farewell to long queues at toll plazas. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to begin trial operations of the country’s first multi-lane, barrier-free toll plaza on February 2 in Kamrej, Surat, marking a major step towards modernizing the nation’s highways.
Currently, vehicles must stop at toll booths, often leading to long waiting lines. To address this, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had announced plans to upgrade toll plazas and introduce a barrier-free toll collection system across India. The new system will replace conventional toll booths and manual toll collection, allowing vehicles to pass through without slowing down.
How the Barrier-Free System Works
According to NHAI officials, the system uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology. High-resolution cameras scan vehicle number plates, and toll charges linked to FASTag are automatically debited, making the process fully contactless and automated. Vehicles can travel at speeds of up to 80 km/h without stopping, reducing congestion and improving traffic flow on highways.
A team of more than 25 experts from Taiwan’s FETC agency has been finalizing the implementation of this technology since September. Once fully operational, the system is expected to save ₹1,500 crore in fuel and generate an additional ₹6,000 crore in revenue.
Future Plans
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways plans to roll out AI-based multi-lane free-flow toll plazas at over 1,050 locations across India by the end of 2026. Kamrej in Surat has been chosen as the pilot site to demonstrate the efficiency of this new system, which promises to provide drivers with a faster, smoother, and more efficient toll-paying experience.
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