Mumbai: India’s longest sea bridge, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), is expected to open for public in January 2024, after missing its scheduled inauguration in December 2023. The 21.6-km-long bridge, which connects Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, will be named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and may be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which is executing the project, is preparing for the inaugural function of the MTHL, which is also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link. The sources said that the Maharashtra government has sent an invitation to the Prime Minister’s Office, and is awaiting the final confirmation.
The MTHL, which is the country’s first sea bridge to use an orthotropic steel deck, will reduce the travel time between the mainland and the island city to just 20-25 minutes, from the current 90 minutes. The bridge will also improve the east-west connectivity of Mumbai, an island city known for its south-north commute and transportation. The bridge will also bring more land to Mumbai city, which will help develop new residential and commercial areas.
The MTHL project, which was conceived in the 1970s, was finally launched in 2014, with an estimated cost of Rs 11,000 crore. However, the project faced several delays and challenges, such as land acquisition, environmental clearance, technical issues, and cost escalation. The project cost rose to Rs 17,800 crore by 2023, a rise of 61.81% till its completion. By September 2023, 96% of the bridge work was completed, but the remaining work took around three months.
The MMRDA and the state government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, have faced much criticism from the opposition parties and the public for the delay in the bridge’s inauguration. Shiv Sena UBT leader and former cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, who is a vocal critic of the BJP, accused the state government of failing to find VIPs to inaugurate the bridge and seek credit. He also questioned why the bridge was not opened to the public, who would benefit from it. He said that the delay was a mockery of the citizens and an insult to Maharashtra. He posted his views on X (formerly Twitter), a social media platform.
