HGCL introduces booster lanes at ORR toll plazas to ease Sankranthi traffic

Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited is installing booster lanes at ORR toll plazas to ease Sankranthi traffic. FASTag users can pass without stopping, and authorities expect smoother journeys. R&B Minister requests toll-free travel between Hyderabad and Vijayawada during festival days.

Hyderabad: Those heading to their hometowns this Sankranthi festival can hope to be able to avoid the usual festive clogging at the Outer Ring Road (ORR) toll plazas and look forward to a seamless travel experience.

Usually, during Sankranthi festivities, the traffic along the highways peaks with families from the city heading to their native places. Given the heavy traffic, serpentine queues form at the ORR toll plazas, resulting in a long waiting period to cross over.

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To address the issue of traffic jams during the festival, the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL) is setting up booster barriers at Shamshabad, Bongulur, and Pedda Amberpet toll plazas. “As toll operations due to vehicle surge became a strain, we are making special arrangements at the toll plazas to ease traffic jams during the festivals,” a senior HGCL official told ‘Telangana Today’.

The HGCL has identified two separate lanes in each toll plaza to set up the booster barriers to clear the traffic surge during the festival. With the additional feature, FASTag users will not need to stop their vehicles at the designated toll plazas at these three toll plazas and will be able to pass through the barriers without stopping.

The HGCL operates 15 toll booths at Shamshabad toll plaza, 13 toll booths at Pedda Amberpet and 12 toll booths at Bongulur, the official said, adding that while the toll plazas had adequate lanes, they could not handle the heavy rush during key festivals, including Sankranthi and Dasara.

At Shamshabad toll plaza, an average of 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles of all types pass through on normal days, but during festive days, the numbers zoom to over 1,50,000 within three hours during the festive season, the official said.

At Pedda Amberpet, which is exit only, nearly 20,000 vehicles per day pass through, with the figure rising to around 90,000 during the festive season. The Bongulur toll plaza, which on a normal day has around 6,000 to 8,000 vehicles, witnesses a sharp rise with vehicle numbers going up threefold during festive rush.

Meanwhile, R&B Minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, in a representation, has urged the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, to allow free movement of vehicles from January 9 to 14 and January 16 to 18, from Hyderabad to Vijayawada and return to Hyderabad, without any collection of toll at Panthangi, Korlapahad and Chilakallu.