₹265.9 crore toll collection on E-City expressway: NHAI invites fresh bids

NHAI has invited e-quotations to temporarily manage toll collection at the Electronics City elevated expressway and Attibele plaza, with combined annual collections estimated at ₹265.9 crore. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started the process of appointing an agency to collect toll charges at two important toll points on the Bengaluru-Hosur Road corridor. The agency will handle toll collection at the Electronics City elevated expressway and the Attibele toll plaza. NHAI invited e-quotations on August 28, with the selected agency expected to collect user fees for three months or until a new agency is appointed, whichever is earlier. The agency will not be responsible only for collecting toll. Its duties will also include maintaining the toilet blocks located near the toll facilities and arranging consumable items required for their upkeep. The last date for submitting the e-quotations is September 7, while the submitted quotations will be opened on September 8. Also Read: Bengaluru streetlights under watch as minister flags major maintenance lapses The two toll points together have a potential annual user-fee collection of ₹265.9 crore. Of this, the Electronics City facility is estimated to generate ₹137.27 crore annually, while the Attibele toll plaza has an estimated annual collection potential of ₹128.63 crore. The Electronics City elevated expressway is a major part of Bengaluru’s road network. Opened in 2010, the 9.98-km structure is the city’s longest continuous flyover and has four lanes. It connects Silk Board Junction with Electronics City, allowing vehicles to travel without signal interruptions along the elevated stretch. Cars make up the largest share of traffic on the Electronics City elevated expressway, accounting for around 76% of all vehicles. Buses and trucks contribute another 16%, while the remaining traffic consists of other vehicle categories. For users of the Electronics City flyover, the current toll for a car, jeep or van is ₹65 for a single journey. The charge for multiple journeys on the same day is ₹95. The second facility covered by the NHAI tender is the Attibele toll plaza, which serves the 14.38-km, six-lane highway section extending towards the Tamil Nadu border. Also Read: Bengaluru’s pollution has no border: 43% of Karnataka’s winter pollution comes from outside The traffic pattern at Attibele is different from that of the Electronics City flyover. Multi-axle vehicles, heavy construction machinery and earthmoving equipment together account for the largest share at 35%. Cars and jeeps make up 26%, followed by buses and trucks at 19%. Three-axle commercial vehicles account for 13% of the traffic, while light commercial vehicles contribute the remaining 7%. At the Attibele toll plaza, cars, jeeps and vans are charged ₹40 for a single journey. The rate for multiple journeys during the same day is ₹60. Both the Electronics City elevated expressway and the Attibele stretch form part of the Bengaluru-Hosur section of National Highway 44. The road and flyover facilities are maintained by Bangalore Elevated Tollway Pvt Ltd (BETPL), a special purpose vehicle. Together, the two stretches covered by the arrangement extend to 24.365 km. Global Infrastructure Partners, based in Mumbai, is the concessionaire for the project. With the current toll collection arrangement requiring a temporary agency, NHAI has now opened the e-quotation process. The agency selected through the process will handle collection for the specified interim period while also taking care of the adjoining toilet facilities and their consumable requirements. For commuters, the key change is not an immediate revision in toll rates. The present charges remain ₹65 for a single Electronics City journey and ₹40 for a single Attibele journey for cars, jeeps and vans, while NHAI works on the next toll collection arrangement.