Travelling on the new Lucknow-Kanpur expressway with an annual pass will cost non-commercial vehicle owners just Rs 15 per trip, according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Without the annual pass, standard tolls could be as high as Rs 125.
Commercial vehicles, however, will not receive any toll relief. The expressway, built with six lanes and a capacity of 40,000 vehicles, is designed to significantly ease traffic on the old Lucknow-Kanpur national highway.
NHAI estimates that 95 per cent of non-commercial vehicle traffic will shift to the expressway once it opens, reducing traffic on the national highway by 50 to 60 per cent. Only heavy vehicles and local non-commercial vehicles with a monthly pass are expected to continue using the old highway.
The annual pass, priced at Rs 3,000, allows non-commercial vehicle drivers up to 200 trips in a year and is valid for 365 days. It applies exclusively to expressways and national highways constructed by NHAI. Provisions have also been made to expand the expressway to eight lanes in the future if traffic demand increases.
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Officials said this arrangement is expected to maintain optimal traffic load on both the expressway and the old national highway for the next 50 years, while freeing additional capacity on the older route for future growth.