# Kerala toll plaza eyes barrier-free system

> District Collector directs NHAI to study Tamil Nadu model for Paliyekara toll plaza as part of wider push to ease traffic and fix safety gaps.
- Title: Kerala toll plaza eyes barrier-free system · The Hindu
- Summary: District Collector directs NHAI to study Tamil Nadu model for Paliyekara toll plaza as part of wider push to ease traffic and fix safety gaps. Kerala's…
- Keywords: paliyekara toll plaza, national highways authority of india, national highway 66, barrier-free tolling, tambaram model, thrissur, kerala, news, politics, toll, plaza, eyes
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/paliyekara-toll-plaza-may-go-barrier-free-in-push-to-ease-traffic-snarls/article71540786.ece
- Author: The Hindu Bureau
- Published: 2026-10-03T13:41:37+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: paliyekara toll plaza, national highways authority of india, national highway 66, barrier-free tolling, tambaram model, thrissur, kerala, news, politics
## Collector orders toll plaza study
District Collector Shikha Surendran has directed the National Highways Authority of India to examine whether Paliyekara toll plaza can adopt a barrier-free system like Tamil Nadu's Tambaram model.
## Safety claims need ground verification
NHAI said deficiencies in highway safety, waterlogging and pedestrian difficulties had been fixed. The Collector ordered police and Motor Vehicles department to physically verify these claims and report back.
## Four-kilometre stretch lacks street lights
An earlier inspection found a four-kilometre stretch of National Highway sixty-six without street lighting. NHAI will prepare a proposal for installing new streetlights and submit it to headquarters.
## Drainage work ordered beyond highway
The Collector directed the Local Self-Government department executive engineer to conduct a joint inspection with NHAI and local bodies to prepare an estimate for required drainage connectivity works.
## Committee to find truck parking areas
A special committee will identify suitable parking areas for lorries and trucks. NHAI has already identified six thousand square feet of land near the bypass at Kodungalloor for this purpose.
## Barrier-free toll part of wider plan
The proposed barrier-free tolling at Paliyekara is expected to be examined as part of wider efforts to improve traffic flow and address persistent safety and infrastructure concerns along the highway.
## Key takeaway

Kerala's Paliyekara toll plaza may adopt a barrier-free tolling system modelled on Tamil Nadu's Tambaram plaza to reduce traffic congestion and improve highway safety.