# Panthangi toll sees 52,000 vehicles in a day as festive rush peaks

> Traffic on the Hyderabad, Vijayawada highway surges 40% in ten days as Bathukamma and Dasara holidays send thousands heading home.
- Title: Panthangi toll sees 52,000 vehicles in a day as festive rush…
- Summary: Traffic on the Hyderabad, Vijayawada highway surges 40% in ten days as Bathukamma and Dasara holidays send thousands heading home. Panthangi toll plaza…
- Keywords: panthangi toll plaza, hyderabad vijayawada highway, nh-65, bathukamma, dasara, telangana, traffic congestion, festive travel, news, politics, Panthangi, toll
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/36-vehicles-every-minute-festive-rush-pushes-panthangi-toll-traffic-to-52000-in-a-day/article71597530.ece
- Author: Naveen Kumar
- Published: 2026-10-18T05:49:27+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: panthangi toll plaza, hyderabad vijayawada highway, nh-65, bathukamma, dasara, telangana, traffic congestion, festive travel, news, politics
## Fifty two thousand vehicles in one day
An average of thirty six vehicles crossed Panthangi toll plaza every minute on Saturday, October seventeen, as festive rush pushed traffic to fifty two thousand crossings in twenty four hours.

> 36 vehicles every minute
## Sharp jump from ten days earlier
The fifty two thousand crossings on October seventeen marked a forty point five percent increase from approximately thirty seven thousand recorded on October seven, reflecting surge in holiday travel.
## Bathukamma and Dasara drive the rush
The surge coincided with Bathukamma and Dasara festivities, sending thousands of motorists travelling between Hyderabad and towns across Andhra Pradesh with long queues near the toll plaza.
## Normal traffic runs thirty to thirty five thousand
An officer from the toll plaza control room said on normal days around thirty thousand to thirty five thousand vehicles cross in both directions, but numbers hovered around forty thousand over the past week.

> On normal days, we see around 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles crossing the toll plaza in both directions.
## Choutuppal construction worsens delays
Congestion was particularly pronounced on the Vijayawada-bound carriageway near Panthangi and Choutuppal, where ongoing flyover construction narrowed stretches and service roads compounded the slowdown.
## FASTag problems add to bottlenecks
Delays involving FASTag transactions, including insufficient balances and technical difficulties, also contributed to slowdowns at toll collection points along the highway.
## Police deploy extra officers and divert traffic
An officer from the Future City police commissionerate said additional officers were deployed to help and monitor flow. Traffic police diverted some vehicles from Lakkaram through Valigonda towards Chityala.

> We have deployed additional officers on ground to help and monitor the flow.
## Saturday traffic exceeded normal average by seventy three percent
The fifty two thousand crossings recorded on Saturday represented a seventy three percent increase over the usual daily average, showing how sharply traffic has risen during the festive period.
## Key takeaway

Panthangi toll plaza recorded fifty two thousand vehicle crossings in twenty four hours on October seventeen and eighteen, a forty point five percent jump from October seven as festive travel peaks.