11 toll plazas in NH 66, Rs 1650 toll for car travelling entire length from T'puram to Kasaragod

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the construction of National Highway 66 is completed, the toll collection centres will be opened at 11 places in the state. The national highway is 645 km long from Kasaragod's Thalappadi to Thiruvananthapuram's Karode. Toll for a car travelling from Karode to Thalappadi will be Rs 1650. You have to pay the same amount on your return. Tolls for buses and other vehicles will be more than this. Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts will have two toll booths each, with one in Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod. The rule is that there can be a toll booth every 60 km.

At present, the toll plaza in Thiruvallam charges Rs 150 per car for one way. The fare will be determined by considering the number of flyovers. So the rate will be different for each plaza. Currently, Thiruvallam toll plaza charges the most.

The construction of the national highway is done by avoiding the residential areas as much as possible and including the skyway, other flyovers and bypass. Bridges cost more than roads. According to the national highway authorities, this is the reason for the high toll rate. The toll rate is fixed based on the National Highways Toll Collection Act, 2008.

The rule of the National Highways Authority is that ten times of the length of the flyover should be taken into account while determining the toll of the flyovers of more than 60 metres.

For example, the total length of the Kazhakootam flyover, which was opened last year, is 2.72 km. That means 27.2 km will be taken into account while calculating the toll.

With the completion of NH 66, the Aroor-Thuravoor reach, which will be the largest flyover in the country at 12.75 km, will be charging the highest toll.

The fare in Thiruvallam went up when the central notification came out in August to include the Kazhakoottam flyover in the toll.

With that, the toll for a car went from Rs 120 to Rs 150. A new flyover is also being constructed in the tollbooth area at Enchakal. After that the toll will go up again.

Toll plazas

Kasaragod................................... Pulloor Periya
Kannur................................................Kalyassery
Kozhikode................................... Mampuzha
Malappuram............................................ Vettichira
Thrissur...................................................Nattika
Ernakulam................................... Kumbalam
Alappuzha..........................................Kommadi
Kollam............................................Ochira (2nd location not specified)
Thiruvananthapuram.......................... Thiruvallam (2nd place undecided)