E-toll system for four bridges on the cards

A move has been made to introduce an electronic toll collection system at four major bridges on the national highway aiming at faster transportation.

Meghna Gumti, Bhairab, Lalon Shah and Rupsha bridges on Dhaka-Chattogram, Kushtia and Khulna highways are being brought under the new system.

Officials said road transport and bridges ministry has already held multiple meetings with the stakeholders concerned to do so.

"We've finalised the bridges where the electronic toll collection system will be introduced considering heavy traffic," said additional secretary Belayet Hossain.

Under the automated system, he said, vehicles will be able to cross a designated bridge without stopping at a toll plaza.

The electronic payment thus dispenses with the need for any cash transaction at the booths.

The officials said a team of the ministry along with the implementer, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), is inspecting the bridges to chalk up a plan accordingly.

According to an initial plan, a special booth with a device at each bridge will detect a similar device of a vehicle crossing a lane and deduct toll automatically.

A vehicle to be crossing any of the computerised toll bridge will need to keep required amount for payment.

"This would be like a mobile phone's card which is needed to top up after fund ends," Mr Belayet said.

He, however, said before the electronic toll collection system gets going, a media campaign would be conducted to make road users aware of it.

Electronic toll collection is popular in different countries to speed up vehicular movement as queues even spread several kilometres to cross toll booths.

The Dhaka-Chattogram highway, which gets the major traffic for its link between Dhaka and Chattogram port, faces congestion on either side of Doudkandi toll plaza for collecting toll manually.

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