The toll collection system for the Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet expressway.
On March 2nd, a series of component projects of the North-South Expressway (Eastern section, 2017-2020 phase) officially commenced toll collection, including: Mai Son - National Highway 45, National Highway 45 - Nghi Son, Nghi Son - Dien Chau, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet, and Phan Thiet - Dau Giay. Notably, these five state-invested expressways are interconnected with three adjacent BOT projects: Dien Chau - Bai Vot, Nha Trang - Cam Lam, and Cam Lam - Vinh Hao. Thanks to this connection, the North-South Expressway now has continuous toll collection along two main sections: the northern section from Hanoi to Ha Tinh and the southern section stretching from Khanh Hoa province to Ho Chi Minh City.
The Vietnam Road Administration further informed that the core difference across the five component projects recently put into operation is the application of a modern inter-route toll collection model. Specifically, the input system will apply multi-lane, free-flow electronic toll collection (ETC) without any barriers. The output will maintain single-lane ETC with barriers and completely eliminate manual toll collection lanes (MTC). This groundbreaking model replaces the currently prevalent "prepayment - with barriers" method for inspection at the input, marking a step forward corresponding to phase one in the ETC deployment roadmap planned by the Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction ) since 2023.
With the new mechanism, at highway entry points, drivers will no longer be hindered by traditional barrier systems. Instead, smart camera-equipped gantries will automatically record license plates and the time vehicles enter the highway. Toll booths with barriers will only appear at the exit point to deduct money from accounts and control cases that do not meet the toll collection criteria, such as not having a toll tag or having insufficient funds in the account. This interconnectedness means there will be no separate toll booths between two adjacent projects, for example, the connection point between the Nghi Son - Dien Chau highway (public investment) and the Dien Chau - Bai Vot BOT project. For example, when a driver travels from Ninh Binh to Ha Tinh , the system will record the vehicle's entry at Ninh Binh and only automatically deduct the toll when the vehicle exits the interchange at Ha Tinh, allowing the vehicle to travel smoothly without stopping.
Sharing about this innovation, Mr. Nguyen Viet Huy, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Road Administration, said that the component projects of the Eastern North-South Expressway have officially implemented toll collection with modern technology, eliminating the need for toll booths and using barrier gates at the entrance. In addition, the toll booths have an automatic vehicle weight control system to detect and issue fines for overloaded vehicles. According to Mr. Huy, the ETC toll collection model, with no barrier gates at the entrance and barriers at the exit, is being widely applied based on the success of pilot projects in Dien Chau - Bai Vot, Nha Trang - Cam Lam, and Cam Lam - Vinh Hao. The pilot results showed that the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the electronic toll collection system met the required standards, and the system operated stably. This is an important prerequisite for replicating this model on other expressways.
Regarding payment methods at highway exits, the system will automatically deduct money from the vehicle owner's payment method (such as e-wallet, bank account) based on the actual kilometers traveled. For some toll stations under independent BOT projects, entrance barriers are still in place due to a lack of data interoperability between routes. However, these barriers will be removed in the near future to ensure data synchronization and ultimately eliminate entrance barriers completely across the entire system.
The Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction) plans to implement the ETC toll collection system in three phases: Phase 1, implemented from 2016 to 2023, involves opening barriers at toll stations, ensuring sufficient funds in accounts, and only then opening the barriers.
Phase 2, implemented from 2024-2025, will remove barriers, allowing vehicles to freely pass through the toll station in a single lane.
Phase 3, from 2026 onwards, will only maintain the overhead gantry structure with the toll collection equipment mounted on top at the toll station. Vehicles will be able to freely pass through the toll station in multiple lanes.
Thus, the toll station model for the North-South expressway project is approaching phase 2, removing barriers at the entrance but maintaining them to control vehicles at the exit.
Source: https://vtv.vn/mo-hinh-thu-phi-5-tuyen-cao-toc-bac-nam-co-gi-dot-pha-100260305102830617.htm
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