For the construction of the MTHL bridge, a new technology called orthotropic steel deck has been used which enables three times the standard span between two piers and is used in navigable channel sections for large ships. (News18)
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority commissioner SVR Srinivas said the 22 km long Mumbai Trans Harbor Link will improve east-west connectivity, reduce time and save costs
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the largest city in Mumbai which is always changing shape and aiding in its growth, which is not only building a metro rail network in the city but also through the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL). Also connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. ,
The 22 km long engineering marvel will reduce the travel time between the mainland and the island city to just 20-25 minutes.
“Mumbai is changing and not just upgrading. We have completed 90 per cent work on MTHL and we hope to open it for the public by the end of the year. It will be one of the most prestigious projects in Asia as the sea bridge is 22 km long,” said SVR Srinivas, commissioner of MMRDA, which is the lead agency of the project.
According to Srinivas, MTHL is not only another sea link that will reduce the distance between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai but will also provide more land for Mumbai city. “Mumbai is an island city known for south-north travel and transport. But with MTHL, there will be improved east-west connectivity which will bring labor and raw materials from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai city quickly and save overall cost Will help.”
The main concern for the authorities was traffic in Mumbai city, especially in South Mumbai in the morning and evening hours. However, Srinivas is of the opinion that “daily, 70,000-75,000 vehicles may add to traffic coming from Navi Mumbai to South Mumbai”. “To tackle this, we are adding MTHL to the freeway, Eastern Expressway and further into the western suburbs. In the coming few years, the Bandra end of the Worli Sea Link will be connected to the MTHL, which will reduce traffic jams.
He said: “It will have a huge impact on the economic development of the city of Mumbai. This bridge will transform the whole of South Mumbai in the days to come. The momentum that South Mumbai’s redevelopment projects need will be built around this bridge.” Will get a boost by coming into the field.
It was not an easy task for the MMRDA to construct this huge bridge. When Covid-19 hit, labor shortage was a major hurdle along with the challenge of training them to deal with the new technology in a short span of time. “We had experienced that the workers were falling ill due to the sea climate. Mumbai monsoon was another challenge we faced while working on the project.
The site where the MTHL was earlier planned to be constructed was opposed by the local fishermen. Many environmentalists also raised concerns about the migration of Serbian flamingos. However, these issues were resolved by MMRDA on priority.
“Such big projects create a lot of disturbance but we have used a technology to reduce this disturbance. It is called reverse circulation drilling technique which reduces the noise to a great extent and does not disturb the migration of flamingos We also dropped the idea of a cable bridge as it would have obstructed the passage of these birds. To resolve the issues of fishermen, the MMRDA has so far spent over Rs 117 crore as compensation, Srinivas said.
For the construction of the MTHL bridge, a new technology called orthotropic steel deck has been used which enables three times the standard span between two piers and is used in navigable channel sections for large ships. MMRDA has not yet disclosed how much toll it will charge from vehicles to use this bridge.
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