E-Paper
‘OMG! It’s almost ready!’: Maharashtra deputy CM Fadnavis on India's longest sea bridge
Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis went for a test drive towards Navi Mumbai in Shinde's private high-end car.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde along with his deputy Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday reviewed the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), India's longest sea bridge, which is expected to be thrown open for the public in November. Providing an update on the progress of the MTHL, Fadnavis, who drove on the sea bridge, said it is “almost ready.”
“OMG! It’s almost ready! I actually drove on our engineering marvel MUMBAI TRANS HARBOUR LINK MTHL with CM Eknath Shinde ji! What more could I ask for,” the BJP leader wrote on Twitter.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the project, also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, a six-lane access-controlled expressway grade road bridge. The bridge begins in Sewri in south Mumbai and terminates at Chirle near Nhava Sheva.
The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link will be the longest sea bridge in the country with a total stretch of 16.5 km above the sea. The bridge connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai is expected to provide major relief to commuters in Mumbai Metropolitan Region by mitigating traffic congestion, and also promote economic development. It will allow people to travel from Sewri in central Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai in 15 to 20 minutes.
Shinde later informed that the ambitious MTHL project's connection to the mainland was completed today with much fanfare. He said that the sea bridge will soon be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi “who is giving all his support for the completion of this project.”
He said the bridge will further be connected to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa National Highway.
"This will lead to the development of educational, industrial and service sectors in this area. This project will save time, fuel, prevent pollution. Environmental balance has been maintained while completing this project. Latest technology has been used for this. It was also explained that the habitat of flamingo birds has been protected due to this," he added.
