Nallur Toll Plaza on Chennai-Kolkata Highway to Relocate to Durainallur

The National Highways Authority of India plans to move the toll plaza at Nallur on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway to Durainallur. The new site is about 13 km away from the current location. The current plaza often causes long delays for vehicles during rush hours.

Local Impact

People living in nearby areas like Karanodai, Janapanchathiram, Nallur and Periyapalayam will benefit from the removal of the old plaza. Many colleges operate in this zone, and college buses often get stuck in long queues here. Local resident K. Suresh Kumar stated that moving the toll has been a long-time demand. Another resident, Ramesh, suggested narrowing the road width at the old site and regularising shops.

Reasons for Shift

NHAI sources noted that the present location no longer works well because new surrounding roads allow drivers to bypass the plaza, causing revenue loss. The current plaza sits inside municipal limits, making it necessary to move it outside. The current operating agency contract ends by May next year, and officials hope to finish the new design by then. About 50,000 passenger car units use this road every day. The upcoming plaza will likely feature a multi-lane free flow tolling system without traditional toll booths and operators.

Context

Toll plazas are set up on major national highways to collect user fees from commercial and private vehicles for road maintenance and development. When new bypass roads come up around cities, traffic patterns change and older toll collection points often need to be moved to maintain fair collection and ease traffic flow.