The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) or Atal Setu, India’s longest sea crossing, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (12th January), marking a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development. The bridge, which ranks 12th longest globally has been named after former prime minister and BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The roadway bridge, measuring 21.8 km in length and with six lanes, has been constructed at the cost of Rs 18000 crore.
The bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Uran taluka, Raigad district. It is projected to enhance economic development in Navi Mumbai and the surrounding areas. It has reduced the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 20 minutes, down from 2 hours. Authorities claim it will also help reduce traffic congestion in the region.
The Mumbai Police have set a maximum speed limit of 100 kmph for four-wheelers crossing the bridge. However, motorcycles, autorickshaws, and tractors will not be permitted to use the said roadway sea bridge.
Notably, on 11th January, the Maharashtra government approved a proposal to levy a one-way toll of Rs 250 for cars using the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). Only half the amount, as per existing toll collecting laws, has been levied, an official stated on the decision made by the Maharashtra CM’s cabinet during the day.
? Atal Setu: India’s Longest Sea Bridge !
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 10, 2024
Bridging the waters, uniting the city, and standing tall in engineering brilliance.#AtalSetu #NarendraModi #Maharashtra #engineering pic.twitter.com/QHg4iQmfWU
PM Modi expressed his happiness over the project which is a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development. “I look forward to being among the people of Maharashtra tomorrow, 12th January, which is also the Jayanti of Jija Mata and Swami Vivekananda. In Nashik, I will pray at the Shree Kalaram Mandir and attend the National Youth Festival,” he said.
I look forward to being among the people of Maharashtra tomorrow, 12th January, which is also the Jayanti of Jija Mata and Swami Vivekananda. In Nashik, I will pray at the Shree Kalaram Mandir and attend the National Youth Festival. Thereafter, I will go to Mumbai from where I…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 11, 2024
“Thereafter, I will go to Mumbai from where I will travel to Navi Mumbai on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, a major infrastructure project for people in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Various other development works will also be inaugurated at a public meeting in Navi Mumbai,” he added.
According to the reports, a remarkable work of engineering, the bridge was built using steel equivalent to the weight of 500 Boeing airplanes and 17 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. The massive structure was built with 177,903 metric tonnes of steel and 504,253 metric tonnes of cement. The bridge also shortens the trip between Mumbai and Pune Expressway.
It would also connect locations such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is now under construction. The Atal Setu project had been in the works since the 1990s, and multiple attempts had been made to develop it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the project’s foundation stone in December 2016, then construction began in April 2018 on three civil packages.
