Multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling has been proposed at Paliyekkara on the Thrissur-Kochi national highway to reduce congestion caused by vehicles stopping at the toll plaza, with the National Highways Authority of India set to seek approval from its head office.
Thrissur district collector Sikha Surendran raised the proposal at a National Highway Task Force meeting held on Saturday. The proposed system would use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) integrated with FASTag, allowing vehicles to pass through the toll point without stopping at a physical barrier.
Surendran said vehicle detention at Paliyekkara was a major cause of congestion on the road between Thrissur and Kochi and that barrier-less toll collection could significantly reduce traffic snarls. Under MLFF, vehicles would be identified as they pass through the tolling point and the toll would be collected through the FASTag system.
Vehicles with insufficient FASTag balance would be required to pay a penalty, according to the report. The system is intended to reduce delays by removing the need for vehicles to queue before toll barriers. A similar ANPR- and FASTag-based arrangement has recently been introduced at the Tambaram toll plaza in Tamil Nadu.
NHAI representatives responded positively to the proposal at the meeting but said approval from the authority’s head office would be required, Surendran said. The report did not specify a timeline for a decision, the proposed installation cost or the operational agency that would manage the system at Paliyekkara.
The meeting also reviewed deficiencies identified during a joint inspection of the NH 66 project. These included safety concerns, waterlogging and difficulties faced by pedestrians. The NH 66 project director told the meeting that all the identified deficiencies had been rectified.
However, the police and the motor vehicles department have been asked to carry out a physical verification to confirm whether the corrective work complies with the required standards. The inspection will determine whether the reported improvements have been completed on the ground.
Traffic management for heavy vehicles was another issue discussed at the meeting. A committee comprising representatives of the police, motor vehicles department, revenue department and NHAI will identify suitable parking areas for trucks and other heavy vehicles along the highway.
NHAI informed the meeting that a 6,000-square-foot site near the Kodungallur bypass had already been identified for this purpose. The report did not state when the site would become operational or how many heavy vehicles it would accommodate.
The next formal step on barrier-less tolling is NHAI’s request for approval from its head office, while the local authorities are expected to conduct the physical verification of the NH 66 works and identify additional truck parking locations.
