Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Mumbai Trans-Harbour link (MTHL), now named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, on Friday. The bridge tagged the longest sea bridge in India, has been built at Rs 17,840 crore.
The bridge, which the state government calls a game-changer, will connect Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle on NH-4B in Navi Mumbai and will further connect to Mumbai-Pune Express Highway via a separate project. It will also provide faster connectivity to the Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce the travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
Longest sea bridge
The MTHL, the foundation stone of which was laid in December 2016, is 21.8 km long. Of the 21.8 km, 16.5 km length is over over sea and about 5.5 km on the land.
According to Maharastra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the bridge could solve the traffic snarls on both sides of the Mumbai Harbour. "The MTHL links Navi Mumbai, Raigad and other cities which would result in attracting new development projects and big corporations to this area, and the entire region will progress and prosper," said Shinde.
The bridge also has an advanced traffic management system which can detect fog, visibility and vehicles crossing the speed limit. On the ascending and descending ramps, the speed limit will be restricted to 40kmph.
The state government has fixed a toll charge of Rs 250 per car for a one-way trip on the MTHL. There will be no entry for vehicles like motorcycles, mopeds, three-wheelers, autos, tractors, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles.
An engineering marvel
While being an engineering marvel, the bridge has also been constructed in an eco-friendly way. According to Sanjay Mukherjee, the metropolitan commissioner of MMRDA, the steel used for the construction of the bridge is 17 times that of the Eiffel Tower and equivalent to the weight of 500 Boeing aeroplane. "The structural steel used is four times that of the Howrah Bridge. The concrete used is six times that of the Statue of Liberty in the US," he said.
Mukherjee added that the bridge is equipped with the latest technology. Besides the use of orthotropic steel decks that help provide huge spans, river circulation rings have also been used to minimise sound and vibrations to safeguard marine life. The lights used in the bridge don't disturb the aquatic environment around it.
"One of its important features is its environmental sustainability. The Bombay Natural History Society, an organisation that works for the environment has given a certificate of appreciation," Mukherjee added.