Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inspected the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the country's longest bridge, in Maharashtra.
Earlier in the day, he inaugurated the sea-bridge saying that it is a “glimpse of what a developed India is going to look like”.
“In a developed India, there will be facilities for all, there will be prosperity for all, there will be speed and there will be progress. In developed India, distances will be reduced and every corner of the country will be connected. Be it life or livelihood, everything will go on continuously, without interruption. This is the message of Atal Setu,” PM Modi said while addressing a public event.
MTHL has been named as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
{{/usCountry}}MTHL has been named as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
{{/usCountry}}The six-lane, 21.8-km-long sea bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Uran taluka in Raigad district. Out of the total stretch, 16.5 km is above the sea, and the remaining 5.5 km is on land.
The Mumbai Trans Harbour link, developed at a cost of ₹18,000 crore, is constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The bridge will be opened for motorists on Saturday.
The sea bridge has shortened the distance between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to just 20 minutes which earlier took 2 hours.
On an average, 70,000 vehicles are expected to ply on the sea bridge. According to traffic projections made by the MMRDA in their study, by 2032, over 1.33 lakh vehicles are expected to use the Sewri-Shivaji.
In December 2016, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of the bridge.
PM Modi was on a day trip to Maharashtra. Apart from MTHL, he laid the foundation stone of underground road tunnel connecting Orange Gate with Marine Drive, virtually inaugurated Bharat Ratnam mega common facility for gems and jewellery industry and New Enterprises and Services Tower at Seepz SEZ and launched sixth line of Khar-Goregaon suburban train route.
He also dedicated first line of Navi Mumbai metro line and Digha Gaon railway station in Navi Mumbai and Surya dam phase 1. He also launched Namo Mahila Sakshamikaran Abhiyaan of state government.