On January 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened Atal Setu, the longest sea bridge in India, in Mumbai. The bridge cuts down on the amount of time it takes to get from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.
Drone footage of the bridge, which spans the Arabian Sea’s Thane Creek and is beautifully lit, was released by the news organization ANI.
The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, is a 21.8 km six-lane bridge that is 16.5 km long and 5.5 km wide on land.
“Atal Setu is the picture of developed India. This is a glimpse of what a developed India is going to be 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 after inaugurating the bridge and laying the foundation stone for several other developmental projects in Navi Mumbai.
The project, according to the government, is in line with the prime minister’s goal of improving citizens’ “ease of mobility” by strengthening urban transportation infrastructure and connections. In December 2016, the cornerstone of Atal Setu was set. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority is building the bridge (MMRDA).
The principal aim of the bridge is to facilitate prompt access to both Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport, while also diminishing the duration of travel from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, and South India.
It also seeks to improve Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Mumbai Port’s connectivity. To improve security on the bridge, the government has added over 400 cameras as well as thermal cameras for fog detection.
The state home department will publish a notice appointing authority for two police stations: the first 10.8 km will be covered by Sewri in Mumbai, while the remaining distance will be supervised by Uran in Navi Mumbai.
Travellers using the bridge would have to pay a one-way toll of ₹250, said the government, adding that it anticipated an average of 70,000 cars daily on the MTHL. According to sources, the MMRDA has projected that by 2032, there will be more than 1.33 lakh vehicles at the Sewri-Shivaji Nagar/Chirle interchanges. By 2042, the number of vehicles is expected to exceed 2 lakh.
