India’s longest sea bridge in Mumbai will allow commuters to pass the toll at 100 km/h
About 95% of the work has been completed and the bridge will be finished before the end of the year.
Mumbai:
India’s longest sea bridge, the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL) under construction, will be the first sea bridge in India to have an open road toll system (ORT), allowing commuters to pass the toll booth at speeds of up to 100 km/h. without slowing down to pay the toll.
Built at a cost of around Rs 18,000 crore, the MTHL, when completed, will accommodate around 70,000 vehicles. NDTV has an exclusive tour of the 16.5 km long apron which will be completed by May 24. About 95% of the work has been completed and the bridge will be completed before the end of the year.
“The works of works are almost finished. Tomorrow evening, during a demonstration, we will connect the bridge to the mainland. The rest of the works – laying of road, electric, intelligent transport system (electronic toll) – – will be done It is possible to achieve the target we set ourselves two years ago, to complete by the end of December this year,” said SVR Srinivas, the Commissioner of the Development Authority of Mumbai Metropolitan Region, to NDTV The bridge is not only an “engineering marvel”, but also an engine of economic growth, he added.
This bridge will connect Mumbai to the mainland with a travel time of 12 to 15 minutes, greatly reducing the few hours it takes today, Srinivas explained, adding that it will facilitate the movement of raw materials, finished products and manpower, creating a new supply chain between Mumbai and the mainland.
MTHL aims to link Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, the financial capital’s satellite city, to ease traffic congestion and promote economic development. The bridge will start at Sewri in South Mumbai, cross Thane Creek north of Elephanta Island and end at Chirle near Nhava Sheva.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis will visit the site on Wednesday evening.
The MTHL was planned about 30 years ago to expedite traffic between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and also facilitate traffic from Mumbai to Pune and Goa.
The MMRDA awarded contracts for the project in November 2017, construction began in April 2018 and was expected to be completed in 4.5 years. However, construction has been delayed by approximately eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently expected to be completed by December 2023.
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