India’s longest sea bridge

India’s longest sea bridge- MTHL

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Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), India’s longest sea bridge also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link. This was a proposed sea bridge that aims to connect the city of Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, spanning the Mumbai Bay. The MTHL is expected to be a crucial transportation link, reducing travel time and congestion in the region.

The total length of the MTHL Bridge is 21.8 km in which the length on the sea is 16.50 km and on land portion is 5.5 km. The sea link contains a 6-lane (3+3 lane) highway+1 emergency lane on both sides. The State Government has taken a loan from the Japanese JICA agency for this project, The Administrative approval estimate value was Rs. 17843 Crore.

MTHL
Source: en.wikipedia.org

There are few sea bridges in India, but MTHL is the longest one which covers a distance of 21.8 km, it will cater to 70,000 vehicles daily connecting Sewri at Mumbai to Chirle at Navi Mumbai

PM Modi to inaugurate the India’s longest sea bridge- MTHL

On 12th January 2024, PM Modi will Inaugurate MTHL and from January 31 it will be partly open for people. PM Modi will travel on this road in a car, he will cover the whole distance.

Today Chief Minister of Mumbai Eknath Shinde inspected the Bridge thoroughly so that the inauguration can be done smoothly. While addressing the media reporters he stated that Modi would inaugurate the bridge by traveling on the entire route and then make his address at the airport site. “Apart from MTHL, he will also inaugurate several other Mumbai and MMRDA projects remotely,” he said. “We have hence checked it all today, taking a closer look at the roads along the bridge, the boundary walls, the median, and so on.”

It is also one of the most expensive roads linked to Mumbai, Motorists will have to pay Rs 250 one way on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, and Rs 375 for the return journey.  Reactions to toll varied, some acknowledged this new development, and some citizens find it steep.

Benefits of MTHL

In a nutshell, it can be concluded that the MTHL Bridge gives a faster connectivity with the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT Port, Mumbai – Pune Expressway, and Mumbai – Goa Highway. On the Mumbai side, Connectivity with the Coastal Road is planned through the Sewri Worli Elevated Connector project.

MTHL will lower the commute time from the Island City to Navi Mumbai from 41 minutes to 26 minutes. It will reduce the distance by about 15 km. Besides, it will make the commute direct, something which has been lacking in Mumbai for a long. Also, the commute is likely to become faster, more efficient and cheaper. This, in turn, will allow more people to live in Navi Mumbai and work elsewhere, and vice versa.

Sea Bridges of India

There are few sea bridges in India, but MTHL is the India’s longest sea bridge one which covers a distance of 21.8 km, it will cater to 70,000 vehicles daily connecting Sewri at Mumbai to Chirle at Navi Mumbai.

There were several sea bridges and coastal infrastructure projects in India, including the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (Mumbai): The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a cable-stayed bridge that connects Bandra in the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. It spans the Arabian Sea and is a major transportation link in the city.  Another one is Vidyasagar Setu (Kolkata): Also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, Vidyasagar Setu is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Hooghly River, connecting the cities of Kolkata and Howrah.

Pamban Bridge (Tamil Nadu): The Pamban Bridge connects the town of Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. It is a railway bridge that also has a double-leaf bascule section to allow ships to pass through.

Kochi International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT): While not a sea bridge, the ICTT in Kochi, Kerala, serves as a major transshipment terminal and is an integral part of the logistics infrastructure along the coast.

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