Mangaluru : Traffic came to a grinding halt for about two hours on the busy NH 66 between Mangaluru and Udupi after an overladen truck brought down the canopy of the temporary toll plaza near NITK, Surathkal, off Mangaluru.

A concessionaire of NHAI had erected the toll plaza to collect toll on the four-laned National Highway between B.C. Road (NH 75) and Surathkal (NH 66), built under the Port Connectivity Project. Toll collection was however kept under abeyance following widespread agitation as the service roads were not complete.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Mangaluru, Udaya Kumar M Nayak, a beedi-laden truck hit the canopy of the plaza at around 4 am. The mishap brought down the entire structure thereby blocking the main carriageways of the National Highway.

While heavy vehicles were detained till the structure was cleared, light vehicles moved on the service road. After about two hours, the highway was cleared for traffic.