As citizens gear up for the grand opening of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12, India’s longest sea bridge is getting a festive and colourful look. After a thorough deep cleaning, the 22-km stretch is now being illuminated with lights and funky decorations for the occasion.
Modi to make journey through entire MTHL
According to sources, Prime Minister Modi will begin his journey at 4 pm from Sewri, driving through the entire 22 km route of MTHL right up to Chirle and then Navi Mumbai. At the Navi Mumbai International Airport, he will address a public rally and formally inaugurate the Atal Setu as it is popularly called and throw it open to the public.
Modi is also expected to dedicate and lay the foundation stones for a total of eight projects including the Orange Gate, the Thane-Borivali Twin Tube Tunnel and Surya Project among others.
MMRDA
All arrangements have been made for the rally which will have a seating capacity of 1.5 lakh people, sources said. “The work has been outsourced/assigned to decorators and special pandal developers. Some 5,000 temporary toilets have been set up and food packets have been ordered.
The Orange Gate project
Among the projects, the Orange Gate, slated as one of the longest underground tunnels in the city will connect Orange Gate to Marine Drive. This tunnel is expected to provide a traffic free route between Orange Gate on Eastern Freeway and Marine Drive enhancing connectivity and reducing travel time.
This first urban underground road project, which will be 40 metre below ground level aims to provide a seamless road-based transit system with just 10 minutes of driving distance connecting the eastern freeway exit with the coastal road. It will also enhance signal free connectivity between the east and west coasts of Mumbai via Eastern Freeway, MTHL, Coastal Road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
The Borivali Tunnel project
On the other hand, the Rs 14,400 crore Borivali Tunnel project is expected to reduce the travel time between Thane and Borivali to 15-20 minutes from 1.5 hours. It will also aid in minimising traffic congestion on Ghodbunder Road.
The route will feature an 11.8-km-long connecting road with two 10.25-km-long three-lane tunnels built beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National park, running from Tikuji-Ni-Wadi in Thane to the Western Express Highway (WEH) in Borivali.
MMRDA
MTHL facts
The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) is expected to cater to 70,000 vehicles daily. Motorists can zoom past the bridge at the speed of 100 kmph.
Build at the cost of ₹17,843 crore, the six-lane bridge is among the most expensive projects. According to chief minister Eknath Shinde, it will help citizens cover a distance of 22 km in 15 minutes which now takes about two hours.
The toll for the ride has been fixed at Rs 250 one way single trip. According to the MMRDA, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan for the ambitious infrastructure project.
