Work on trans-harbour bridge starts with launch of first girder
16 Jan 2020
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Work on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) connecting the island city with mainland started with the launch of the first girder of the country’s longest sea bridge on Wednesday.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the first girder for the MTHL, which is expected to be ready by 2022, local reports said.
Once completed, the sea link is expected to cut travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai from the present 100 minutes to around 30 minutes
The CM launched the girder at the Mumbai-end of the MTHL in Sewri in the presence of senior Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials and other dignitaries.
The 1,000-tonne girder was set-off by a bigger ‘launching girder’, marking the start of the civil work.
The six-lane and 27-metre wide bridge will connect Sewri in Mumbai with Chirle in Navi Mumbai, and will cater to an estimated 70,000 vehicles daily.
The total bridge will be 22 km long, 16.5 km being in the sea, with interchanges on both sides.
The MTHL will be connected to the upcoming international airport in Navi Mumbai, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Goa Highway and provide faster access to north Maharashtra and southern India.
The Rs14,260-crore project is being financed by a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), according to reports.
The project was conceived over 45 years ago but only received clearance in 2012 from then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the MTHL in December 2016.
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