Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Friday that commuters using the Ganga Expressway will not have to pay any user charge for the first 15 days. The exemption will remain effective until May 13.
Expressway Opened Recently
The 594-kilometer-long expressway connecting Meerut to Prayagraj was opened to the public on April 29. The objective of this toll waiver is to increase ridership on the carriageway by allowing vehicle owners to experience the smooth ride during the initial days of its operation.
Toll Fee Details
The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has fixed a one-way toll of Rs 1,800, but the final figure will be announced after May 13 by the two developers. Acting on the Chief Minister's direction, UPEIDA directed concessionaires IRB Infrastructure and Adani Infrastructure to defer toll collection on the Ganga Expressway for a period of 15 days on Friday.
Additional Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Sri Hari Pratap Shahi, stated, "The four toll management companies have been asked to continue with the maintenance and operations as prescribed in the concession agreement during the said period."
Compensation for Developers
The state government will compensate the construction companies by covering their expenses once the deferment period ends. The expressway was developed within a span of three and a half years under a public-private partnership model. The concessionaires have the right to collect user fees for the next 27 years, added Shahi.
Initial Traffic Data
Close to 4,000 four-wheeler owners used the carriageway during the first 24-hour period to commute between Meerut and Prayagraj and vice versa from the time toll collection companies commenced operations. Over the first package, which is the Meerut to Budaun stretch spanning 130 kilometers, close to 8,000 motor vehicles used the expressway in the same period.
Barrier-Less Tolling System
Those entering or exiting the Ganga Expressway in Meerut will experience a barrier-less system, a multilane free-flow tolling system that does not require a motorist to slow down or halt at the toll collection plaza. The expressway is divided into four packages: Meerut to Budaun, Budaun to Hardoi, Hardoi to Unnao, and Unnao to Prayagraj. A motorist will pass through four gantries set up to collect user charges over the 594-kilometer-long expressway.
Advanced Technology
The first gantry in Meerut is man-less and barrier-less, equipped with number plate recognition cameras and advanced FASTag scanners, which do not require stopping or slowing down. However, the remaining three gantries situated on the main carriageway in Budaun, Unnao, and Prayagraj will be conventional toll plazas with modern features and design elements. The advanced FASTag readers have primary and secondary systems to detect registration numbers, vehicle classification, and the number of axles.
An officer explained, "At times, commercial and heavy vehicle owners fraudulently use the tag of a private car or another kind of vehicle to avoid paying additional charges at the toll plaza. The system installed over the main carriageway and the 19 exit ramps is sensitive enough to detect such frauds."
