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Entering or exiting Bangalore will not be free any more for motorists. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to levy toll soon on all the seven major National Highways leading in and out of Bangalore. 

 
The State government, too, is preparing to levy toll on the roads under its jurisidiction. Reason: Upgradation and upkeep of the roads need funds.

While the NHAI believes that the expenditure can be recovered through public-private partnership (PPP) models across all the National Highways running through Bangalore, the State government, which has started widening the roads across Karnataka, wants to recover the cost of providing “quality” roads from the citizens.

The NHAI is already levying toll on the Tumkur-Nelmanagala stretch and Hosur expressway on NH-4 and NH-7 respectively. It has started to erect toll booths at the other end of the same stretches.

Besides the much criticised toll booths on NH-7 erected a few metres away from the trumpet flyover leading to the Bengaluru International Airport, two other toll booths along the Bangalore-Hoskote-Mulbagal road on NH-4 are all set to start collecting user fee in a couple of months.

Top NHAI officials told Deccan Herald that a feasibility study is under way for widening NH-209 along Kanakapura road and also on NH-48 connecting Bangalore with Mangalore.

“The feasibility study should be completed in six months before we call for Expression of Interest for the project. The Nelmangala-Devanahalli stretch on NH-48 is ready and toll booths are expected to be up and running in a few months,”  NHAI sources said.

Meanwhile, the State government’s proposal to levy toll on state highways is also taking shape, with officials stating that within a week, the Cabinet would take a final decision on which roads to levy toll.

Sources in the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited said a decision on levying toll on roads widened for smooth commuting would be taken for routes that come under the highway improvement projects.