Image credits - The Hindu
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Maharashtra, where he will attend several events, one of which is the official opening of the 21.8-kilometer Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL), which will link Sewri in South Mumbai with Chirle, which is close to Navi Mumbai.
The longest bridge in India is the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL), also known as the “Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu” sea bridge. In December 2016, Prime Minister Modi also laid the bridge’s foundation stone.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced that the “Atal Setu,” a six-lane bridge spanning around 21.8 km (5.5 km on land and 16.5 km over the sea), was constructed at a total expenditure exceeding Rs 17,840 crore.
In addition to cutting down on travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, and South India, it will offer quicker connectivity to both Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport. According to officials, it will also enhance connectivity between Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mumbai Port.
In the public program in Navi Mumbai, the PM will also launch, dedicated to the country, and lay the cornerstone of several development projects valued at over Rs 12,700 crore.
The Prime Minister will lay the cornerstone for the subterranean road tunnel that runs from Marine Drive to the Orange Gate of the Eastern Freeway. According to officials, the 9.2 km tunnel, which will be constructed for more than Rs 8,700 crore, will be a major infrastructural improvement in Mumbai that will shorten the time it takes to get from Orange Gate to Marine Drive.
On the other hand, some guidelines for using the MTHL were released by the Mumbai Police on Wednesday. Motorcycles, autorickshaws, and tractors are not permitted on the sea bridge, and the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL) will have a 100 mph maximum speed limit for four-wheelers.
The speed limit for automobiles, taxis, light motor vehicles, minibuses, and two-axle buses will be 100 km/h, according to officials. In addition, a 40 mph speed limit will apply to both the ascent and descent from the bridge.
The Atal Setu, also known as the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link, is the longest sea bridge ever built in India. The 22 km long Atal Setu, which connects Sewri on the island city to Nhava-Sheva on the mainland, features six lanes.
504,253 metric tons of cement and 177,903 metric tons of steel were used in the building of the MTHL. Currently, the bridge has two access points to Navi Mumbai: the Airoli-Mulund connector and the Vashi connector.
With the help of this bridge, travel will be significantly expedited, allowing drivers to go from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai in 20 minutes as opposed to the usual two hours.
The nation will receive the first phase of the Surya regional bulk drinking water project from the prime minister. Around 14 lakh people will benefit from the project, which was developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,975 crore, and will supply drinking water to the Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra, according to officials.
The Prime Minister will dedicate approximately Rs 2,000 crore in railway projects to the country during the program. One of these is “Phase 2 of the Uran-Kharkopar railway line,” which will improve connectivity to Navi Mumbai by extending the suburban services that currently run between Nerul/Belapur and Kharkopar to Uran.