The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is preparing to introduce camera-based, booth-free tolling at the Nemili toll plaza in Sriperambudur and the Chennasamudra toll plaza near Walajah on NH-48, a route used by commuters travelling between Chennai, Vellore, Krishnagiri and Bengaluru.
The multi-lane free-flow system has already been installed at both locations, according to NHAI officials. It will use multiple cameras placed at intervals of about 20 metres to scan vehicle number plates or FASTag details and deduct the applicable toll automatically, allowing vehicles to pass without stopping at conventional booths.
More than 30,000 vehicles use the two toll locations each day. Existing toll booths frequently develop queues because FASTag readings can take time, while some vehicles do not have sufficient balance in their accounts. In such cases, motorists have had to complete payments through UPI applications, adding to delays at the plazas.
Under the new arrangement, vehicles without adequate FASTag balance will have a challan raised, officials said. The system is intended to reduce payment-related stoppages and improve traffic movement through the tolling points. The exact date for starting operations at Nemili and Chennasamudra was not specified in the report.
The planned change comes as the two toll plazas continue to face physical and operational problems. The booth structures, particularly at Nemili, appear vandalised and are inadequately covered during rain. Acceleration and deceleration lanes have not been marked, one lane is non-functional, and sections of the concrete road have potholes.
These conditions mean that removing toll booths will address only one part of the journey through the plazas. While free-flow tolling can reduce stopping and payment delays, motorists will continue to encounter road-surface and lane-management issues until the related infrastructure work is completed.
NHAI has collected more than ₹1,000 crore from the two toll plazas over the past decade. At the same time, its ₹1,300-crore NH-48 widening project remains stalled at several locations. The project includes widening work and flyovers intended to improve movement along the corridor.
Officials said the widening and flyover work would be completed by December. The work at the toll plazas and on the wider corridor will determine whether the new tolling system delivers a smoother journey for vehicles using this heavily travelled route.