MTHL to connect Mumbai-Pune Expressway through elevated corridor

In a significant development push for Mumbai, the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL), expected to be the longest sea bridge in the country, will connect to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway via an elevated corridor according to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials. Tenders have been invited by MMRDA for the elevated road and at an expected cost of Rs 10 billion.

Thousands of commuters travelling to and from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Lonavala, Pune, and other cities will benefit from the link, which is anticipated to reduce traffic on multiple roads. According to MMDRA authorities, the corridor will reduce travel time between Lonavala, Khandala, and Mumbai by 90 minutes. In Chirle, there will be an interchange. The MTHL’s construction is almost finished, and is planned to open by the end of 2023.

The Eastern Freeway will be connected to Grant Road by a new elevated road being built by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). This Rs 7 billion road will travel across J Rathod Road, Hancock Bridge, Ramchandra Bhatt Marg (Over JJ Flyover), and Maulana Shaukat Ali Road to connect Eastern Freeway (Orange Gate) to Frere Bridge East.

This under construction 21.8 km long MTHL is a cable-stayed, six-lane, freeway-grade road bridge connecting Sewri with Navi Mumbai. About 16.5 km of the overall length is built over water, and the remaining 5.5 km is built on land. When finished, it would be India's longest sea bridge and can accommodate 70,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

Mumbai will no longer be an island city with the opening of the MTHL, according to MMRDA Commissioner, SVR Srinivas, while speaking about the significance of the Trans-Harbour Link. Mumbai will no longer be an island city after the MTHL is completed, since it won’t be subject to the limitations that island cities have for the past 200 years. Once the MTHL is operational, the geographical restrictions will no longer apply because one can reach the mainland in ten minutes.