India’s longest sea bridge, the 22 kilometre long six-lane Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, also called as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) was inaugurated by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, in Maharashtra on January 12, 2024. It connects Sewri on the island city to Nhava Sheva on the mainland. Atal Setu includes 16.5 kilometre long sea link and 5.5 kilometre viaducts on land. This bridge would cut down the travel time between central Mumbai and the fast-growing Navi Mumbai from two hours to about 20 minutes. A total of around Rs 20,000 crore has been spent on the MTHL project.
The project of connecting Mumbai to the mainland was conceptualised in 1963, by the American construction consultancy firm, Wilbur Smith Associates. However, after that, there was no action taken on the matter. In 1994, the Maharashtra government initiated a feasibility of the project. Again, it remained static due to various issues and the study of the project was updated in 2004. In February 2008, Reliance Infrastructure, Anil Ambani group, became the successful bidder but soon the company withdrew from the project.
After the nodal agency was changed from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the project was finally revived in 2017. The MMRDA signed an agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency, which provided a loan assistance of Rs 15,100 crore, almost 80 per cent of the project cost. The work on Atal Setu began in April 2018.
The bridge has been designed to have a life of about 100 years and could carry 70,000 vehicles daily. It could withstand earthquakes, high tides and wind pressure as it has been constructed with distinctive materials that are used in the construction of nuclear reactors. Such materials provide high corrosion protection, enhanced durability and high resistance to chloride attacks. Atal Setu has specially-designed lighting poles which would be able to bear high-velocity winds during monsoons. It further has been equipped with a lightning protection system for safeguarding the bridge against potential damage caused due to lightning. For ensuring the safety of the travellers, crash barriers have been built that have been tested to meet international standards, with an overall height of 1,550 mm.
From Sewri, an 8.5 kilometre noise barrier and 6 kilometre of view barrier have been installed in the MTHL. This is because a portion of the bridge passes through a flamingo protected area and the highly sensitive area of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. On the 7.8 kilometre stretch over the sea, over 900 metres of noise barriers and 1.2 kilometre of view barriers have been installed.
The construction process was difficult as the bridge was building at a height of 15 metres above the sea level and was lying close to sensitive establishments like the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). Utmost care had to be taken to not damage any underwater installations such as pipelines or communication cables. The construction process of Atal Setu involved about 1,77,903 metric tonnes of steel and 5,04,253 metric tonnes of cement.
Atal Setu is fitted with technology for supervising a smooth commuting of vehicles. It includes an intelligent traffic management system, video incident detection system, speed enforcement system, emergency call boxes, etc. The entire stretch of Atal Setu would be monitored by a comprehensive surveillance system. The toll management process would incorporate open road tolling for facilitating the connection of tolls without interrupting the passage of vehicles.
The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on Atal Setu would be 100 kilometres per hour. The speed would be restricted to 40 kilometres per hour on the ascent and descent of the bridge. Only cars, taxis, buses, light motor vehicles, minibuses and two-axle buses have entry to the bridge. There would be no entry for vehicles like motorcycles, mopeds, three-wheelers, autos, tractors, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles. Further, multi-axle heavy vehicles, trucks and buses heading towards Mumbai would not have an entry on the Eastern Freeway.
This bridge is seen as a boon to Mumbai traffic woes as it would not only reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai but also would lead to the economic integration of the neighbouring Raigad district into Mumbai’s ecosystem. Atal Setu is expected to see the movement of more than 7,000 vehicles every day. It would significantly improve connectivity between South Mumbai and the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Mumbai-Goa Highway, and the main hinterland in general. It would also provide improved access to JNPT. The objective of the project is to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region which comprises the districts of Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad, and promote the region’s economic development. This bridge is expected to transform India’s global image as an investment destination.
Despite its numerous benefits, the MTHL project has faced criticism from coastal communities. According to the Maharashtra Small-Scale Traditional Fish Workers’ Union, traditional fishing communities are affected by such developmental projects. The entire Atal Setu project has been built on hundreds of concrete pillars constructed in intertidal fishing zones. The cumulative impact of all these coastal projects has not been considered yet. The ecology of these places has been severely affected by the deposition of sediments. This has resulted in the conversion of hundreds of hectares of productive fishing zones into dense mangrove cover. This has an adverse effect on biodiversity and the thousands of traditional fishermen who depend on these areas for their livelihood.
Overall, the MTHL represents a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure development. It also highlights the need for sustainable planning and environmental conservation to address the concerns of local communities and safeguard coastal ecosystems.
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