Toll plazas on Chennai-Tiruchi national highway gear up for Deepavali rush

CHENNAI Each time there is a festival and a large number of people travel to their hometowns in the State, the toll plazas on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway bear the brunt. Motorists spend around 20 minutes at all the six plazas put together, waiting to cross the gates. “The contractors ensure that toll operators and security guards are not on leave. As the rush begins, the boom barriers are positioned vertically so that no time is wasted in moving them up and down.

Nearly 50,000 vehicles travel to Tiruchi on a single day. During festivals, this number goes up. Due to the high volume of traffic, the lanes and toll booths are operated 24x7 on all days,” a source in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said. However, those crossing the Paranur plaza, the first one from Chennai, will have a completely new experience this Deepavali.

“Ever since the State’s first multi-lane free flow, barrier-free toll system was launched at Paranur, there have been no pauses. Unless the motorist wants, they need not stop there.