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

Heavy rush at Panthangi toll plaza in Nalgonda district as people from AP return home during the festival. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

An average of 36 vehicles passed through 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 vehicular crossings in 24 hours, a sharp increase from around 37,000 recorded just ten days earlier.

A surge in vehicular movement coinciding with the Bathukamma and Dasara festivities saw thousands of motorists travel between Hyderabad and cities across Andhra Pradesh, with long queues and slow traffic reported near the toll plaza and adjacent stretches of highway.

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

This figure marked a significant jump from the 49,000 crossings recorded on Friday (16 October) and around 37,000 on 7 October, 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. In the last one week, the numbers were around 40,000, but the movement has increased significantly in the last two days,” the officer said.

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

During the festive season, regular commercial vehicle traffic is joined by a substantial increase in passenger cars and passenger buses carrying families and other passengers heading to their hometowns, putting additional pressure on the highway.

Congestion was particularly pronounced along the Vijayawada-bound road near Panthangi and Choutuppal, where motorists faced long queues in the toll collection lanes and slow-moving traffic in adjacent stretches.

The ongoing construction of the flyover around Choutuppal further worsened the situation as vehicles passed through the narrowed sections and service roads. Delays in FASTag transactions, including insufficient balances and technical difficulties, also contributed to the slowdown at toll collection points. “We have deployed additional police officers on the ground to assist and monitor the flow,” said an officer from the police commissariat of the future city.

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

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

Figures from the tollbooth show how traffic surged over the festive period from around 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 up to 73%.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 11:19 IST