NHAI Plans Barrier-Free Tolling on Upcoming High-Speed Highways

Vehicles using India's upcoming high-speed National Highways may soon be able to pay tolls without halting at plazas, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issuing fresh guidelines that provide for Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling on such corridors.

Under MLFF, tolls are collected electronically while vehicles keep moving, unlike conventional plazas where traffic passes through lanes and barriers. The framework will apply to upcoming four- and six-lane Greenfield and Brownfield High-Speed Access-Controlled National Highways, while expressways are excluded. Provisions for the system will have to be built into corridor planning from the start.

Sharper traffic forecasts

Planning will rely on more detailed traffic projections. Estimates must account for vehicles already using a route, traffic expected to shift from other roads, and future growth in freight movement tied to economic and commercial activity. Toll data and other reliable sources will be used to sharpen these forecasts, giving planners a clearer picture of a corridor's future load before design decisions are finalised.

Machine-aided construction

The guidelines also call for wider use of Automated and Intelligent Machine-aided Construction (AI-MC) technology for building embankments and pavements, in line with Road Transport Ministry norms. The aim is greater consistency and precision in construction, along with closer project monitoring.

Greenery from the planning stage

Plantation and landscaping will no longer be treated as afterthoughts added once a highway is built. They must be considered from the project-planning stage, with greenery developed in loop areas, below flyovers, on medians and at other suitable spots depending on local climate, terrain and environmental conditions. Drip irrigation will be provided on National Highway medians to cut water use and ease maintenance.

Drainage and waterlogging

Detailed Project Reports will have to specify where rainwater from the highway and surrounding areas will be discharged. Water-harvesting structures are to be provided in loop areas and other suitable locations, especially where no natural outlet exists. Special drainage arrangements will be required around underpasses, flyovers, depressed medians and similar structures to lower the risk of waterlogging and damage. Drainage plans must identify specific disposal points and safely manage runoff from both the highway and adjoining areas.

NHAI said the changes are intended to develop safer, more sustainable and future-ready high-speed National Highway corridors across the country.