Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).
Credit: MMRDA / L&T-IHI Consortium
Mumbai: The iconic Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) - engineering marvel of sorts and the only cable-stayed bridge of its kind in India - is slated for inauguration in the next couple of months.
The estimated cost of the MTHL is over Rs 17,000 crore.
The MTHL, which passes over the Arabian Sea, would revolutionise travel in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Two other similar bridges are Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China (36 kms) and King Fahd Causeway, Saudi Arabia (26 kms).
The Maharashtra government has decided to name the bridge after late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the legendary politician and statesman.
The possible date that is being worked out is 25 December, which is the birth anniversary of Vajpayee.
“Though we are working out 25 December as the date of throwing open the road for the public. We are hopeful that in December 2023-January 2024, the inauguration would take place and people would be able to use it,” highly-placed sources in the Maharashtra government told DH.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the nodal agency for the project.
The MTHL is a cable-stayed bridge - spanning nearly 21.8 kms - the length of the sea bridge is 16.5 kms and the length of approach viaducts would be 5.5 kms. The link would support a six lane (3x3) carriageway.
The unique marine and land approach road will connect central Mumbai with Navi Mumbai across the Mumbai Bay.
In order to address environmental and navigational challenges in the bay area, orthotropic steel deck, which has lighter self-weight but stronger structure compared to concrete or composite girders, was implemented for the first time in India with the involvement from Japanese companies, namely IHI Infrastructure Systems Co Ltd and JFE Engineering Corporation.
The road is expected to reduce the travel time between the two sides from about 60 minutes to 16 minutes, contributing to smooth traffic flow, accelerating growth in Navi Mumbai, and creating greater economic integration in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had signed loan agreements with MMRDA in three tranches, respectively on March 31, 2017, March 27, 2020, and February 27, 2023, and has extended a cumulative total of 242,459 million Japanese yen in ODA loans (approximately Rs 15,100 crore) for the MTHL Project.