Now, it will take just 20 minutes to reach from south Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. This has been made possible by the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), India’s longest sea bridge, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (12 January). The bridge will be opened to the public from Saturday.

Billed as one of India’s mega transport infrastructure projects, it took almost six decades for MTHL to materialise, noted Indian Express.

Here’s everything to know about the sea link.

Brief history of the project

The conceptualisation of the project can be traced back to 1963. As per an Indian Express report, it was then that US consultancy firm Wilbur Smith and Associates proposed a bay crossing concept with a bridge linking Greater Mumbai and the mainland.

Later, the Maharashtra government set up committees in 1972 and 1978 to examine the likely alternatives to construct the sea link across the Mumbai Bay. These panels suggested two alternative paths – a northern route connecting Sewri with Nhava and a southern route linking Mumbai’s Colaba with Uran, a coastal town in Navi Mumbai.

A steering group formed in 1981 suggested a northern route connecting Sewri with Nhava after assessing the previous studies, the report added.

The project remained in cold storage for around ten years before being revived by the newly constituted Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in the late 1990s.

Despite several attempts over the years, the project did not kickstart until 2017 when Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) adopted the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis model. The authority awarded contracts for the project in November 2017, the newspaper reported.

The deal, under which Japan International Cooperation Agency would pay 80 per cent of the project cost and the remaining funds would be provided by the Centre and the state government, was completed by December 2017. The construction, which was to originally last for 4.5 years, faced delays for about eight months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per NDTV, around 95 per cent of the construction cwork is complete, but some tasks remains, including road laying, electrical work, and the implementation of an intelligent transport system, which will be finished after the bridge’s inauguration.

All about Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 18,000 crore, the MTHL will connect Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle on NH-4B in Navi Mumbai.

According to Indian Express, the distance by road from Sewri to Chirle is 52km, which the new sea bridge will reduce to 21.8 km.

The travel time which is about two hours will be cut down to just 20 minutes. The sea bridge can cater to 70,000 vehicles per day.

Officially known as Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link, the six-lane sea bridge is about 22 km long, with 16.50 kilometres of the stretch on the sea and 5.50 kilometres on land, as per PTI.

It is the country’s first sea bridge to have an Open Road Tolling (ORT). Under this, the toll is collected without the use of traditional toll booths. Instead of booths, it has toll plaza which can identify passing vehicles and help with electronic collection of the toll amount.

The state government has fixed a toll charge of Rs 250 per car for a one way trip on the bridge, with regular commuters and pass holders being given a concession option, reported Indian Express. 

The bridge is strategically placed to improve connectivity between Navi Mumbai International Airport, the arterial Mumbai-Pune Expressway, JNPT Port and the Mumbai Goa highway, as per Hindustan Times (HT).

Rules for motorists

The Mumbai police issued rules for vehicles running on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, fixing the maximum speed limit for four-wheelers to 100 kilometres per hour. These vehicles include cars, taxis, light motor vehicles, minibuses and two-axle buses. An official told PTI that their speed will be restricted to 40 kmph on the ascent and descent of the bridge.

The official said the speed limit on the bridge is to curb “danger, obstructions and inconvenience to the public”.

Multi-axle heavy vehicles, trucks and buses going towards Mumbai will not be allowed to enter on the Eastern Freeway. Instead, they will have to take the Mumbai Port-Sewri Exit (Exit 1C) and the MBPT Road near ‘Gadi Adda’, reported PTI. 

Motorbikes, autorickshaws, mopeds, three-wheelers, autos, tractors, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles are not allowed on the sea bridge.

Why is MTHL significant? 

MTHL will alter Mumbai’s travel pattern to east-west from the current north-south, which is a much longer commute, as per Indian Express.

It will not only lessen travel distance and time for commuters but the sea bridge is also expected to facilitate economic development and growth.

Real estate experts believe the bridge could be a game-changer. Gautam Thacker, Chairman NAREDCO Neral-Karjat unit, told Indian Express, “The Mumbai address has changed as a lot of construction has begun in MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region). Many homebuyers are showing interest in properties in MMR. With the upcoming MTHL and Navi Mumbai Airport projects, untouched areas will see significant growth. It is a given, that connectivity has a positive impact on real estate development. Micro markets like Ulwe, Panvel, Kharghar among others are seeing growth in real estate pricing, and it will go up further.”

With inputs from agencies