Toll on 2-lane stretches under expansion cut

NEW DELHI: In a relief for highway commuters, toll on under expansion stretches - from two-lane to four-lane - will soon be halved during construction period and user fee on partially opened expressways such as Delhi-Mumbai and Amritsar-Jamnagar will be same as that of other NHs. At present, the toll on expressways is 1.25 times other NH stretches, reports Dipak Dash.

TOI learnt that finance ministry has given green light to two proposals from road transport and highways ministry. The latter had proposed to halve toll during expansion of 10-metre-wide two-lane highways with paved shoulders to four-lane highways since commuters don't get the desired service as the width of road gets reduced while construction is underway.

Finance ministry has asked highways ministry to monitor and ensure strict enforcement of penalties on contractors for missing timeline in such projects.