36 vehicles every minute: Festive rush pushes Panthangi toll traffic to 52,000 in a day

An average of 36 vehicles crossed the Panthangi toll plaza every minute on Saturday (October 17), as the festive rush on the Hyderabad–Vijayawada National Highway (NH-65) pushed traffic to 52,000 vehicle crossings in 24 hours, a sharp increase from approximately 37,000 recorded just ten days earlier.

The surge in vehicular movement, coinciding with the Bathukamma and Dasara festivities, saw thousands of motorists travelling between Hyderabad and towns across Andhra Pradesh, with long queues and slow-moving traffic reported near the toll plaza and adjoining stretches of the highway.

According to an officer from the toll plaza’s control room, 52,000 vehicles crossed Panthangi in both directions between midnight on October 17 and midnight on October 18, translating to an average of approximately 2,167 vehicles every hour.

The figure marked a considerable jump from the 49,000 crossings recorded on Friday (October 16) and approximately 37,000 on October 7, reflecting a 40.5% increase in daily traffic over ten days.

“On normal days, we see around 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles crossing the toll plaza in both directions. Over the past week, the numbers have been hovering around 40,000, but the movement has increased significantly over the last two days,” the officer said.

Situated near Choutuppal in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Panthangi is a major toll collection point along NH-65, one of the principal road corridors linking Hyderabad with Vijayawada. The highway carries a steady mix of private cars, taxis, intercity buses, light commercial vehicles and heavy goods carriers, connecting Hyderabad with several towns and districts in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

During the festive season, the regular movement of commercial vehicles is joined by a substantial increase in private cars and passenger buses carrying families and other travellers heading to their hometowns, placing additional pressure on the highway.

The congestion was particularly pronounced along the Vijayawada-bound carriageway near Panthangi and Choutuppal, where motorists encountered long queues at toll collection lanes and slow-moving traffic along adjoining sections.

Ongoing flyover construction around Choutuppal further compounded the situation, with vehicles negotiating narrowed stretches and service roads. Delays involving FASTag transactions, including insufficient balances and technical difficulties, also contributed to the slowdown at toll collection points. “We have deployed additional officers on ground to help and monitor the flow,” said an officer from the Future City police commissionerate.

Traffic police reportedly diverted some vehicles from Lakkaram in Choutuppal through Valigonda towards Chityala to ease congestion along the main highway.

While the 52,000 crossings recorded on Saturday represent the combined movement of vehicles towards both Hyderabad and Vijayawada, a direction-wise or category-wise breakdown was not immediately available.

The toll plaza’s figures show how sharply traffic has increased over the festive period, from approximately 37,000 crossings on October 7 to 49,000 on October 16 and 52,000 on October 17, with Saturday’s volume exceeding the usual daily average by as much as 73%.