The General Office of the State Council released a circular on May 21, outlining the implementation plan to remove expressway toll booths at provincial borders and promote a fast, nonstop toll collection system to reduce logistics costs and increase transportation efficiency.

To meet the goal of removing almost all expressway toll booths at provincial borders by the end of this year, efforts should be intensified to build and improve the expressway toll collection system, extend the application of nonstop electronic toll collection system and speed up the revision of relevant regulations and laws, the circular said.

It also allows local governments to issue bonds to replace eligible outstanding debts of toll roads.

Central and local governments will step up financial support for the removal of expressway toll booths at provincial borders, according to the circular.

It also calls for efforts to strengthen security management of involved systems and network and appropriate arrangement of toll-collection staff.

A leading group, led by the Ministry of Transport and composed of several ministerial departments, such as the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will be set up to coordinate the work.