Atal Setu, 21.8 km sea bridge linking Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, opens to public

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the sea bridge connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, opened to the public on Friday after the inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The MTHL, now named ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’, has been constructed at a total cost of more than ₹17,840 crore ($2.15 billion), the Prime Minister’s Office said in a press release. 

The bridge will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport, and reduce travel time from Mumbai to Pune and Goa. 

It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai, the PMO release said. 

The bridge will reduce the two-hour journey from Sewri-Nhava Sheva to 20 minutes. 

Modi had laid the foundation stone of the bridge in December 2016.

Originating at Sewri in Mumbai and terminating at Nhava Sheva in Raigad district, the 21.8-km long 6-lane bridge spans about 16.5 km and roughly 5.5 km on land.

Constructed over the last seven years, the bridge is touted as an engineering marvel built over the sea. 

The quantity of steel used for its construction is equivalent to the weight of 500 Boeing airplanes and 17 times that of the Eiffel Tower’s weight, according to the Maharashtra government. 

No two-wheelers allowed, speed limit at 100 kmph

The Mumbai Police said the speed limit for four-wheelers on MTHL will be 100 km per hour, with the speed reduced to 40 kmph during ascent and descent.

Motorcycles, mopeds, autorickshaws, three-wheeler tempos, tractors, animal-drawn vehicles, and slow-moving vehicles will not be allowed on the sea bridge.

The curbs were imposed to avoid “danger, obstructions and inconvenience to the public,” Mumbai Police said. 

The one-way toll for cars on the bridge is set at ₹250 ($3).