Mumbai Trans Harbour Sealink project- RTI reply reveals project’s cost went up by Rs 2000 crore after missing multiple deadlines

Mumbai Trans Harbour Sealink project: RTI reply reveals project’s cost went up by Rs 2000 crore after missing multiple deadlines

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link on January 12. The Chief Minister added that the 21.8-kilomtre long bridge between Sewri in Mumbai and Nhava Sheva area in Raigad district will cut down the travel time from two hours to around 15-20 minutes.

The much anticipated Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project aims to provide a faster connectivity with the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT Port, Mumbai – Pune Expressway and Mumbai – Goa Highway. It has received the official designation of ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu,’ paying tribute to the enduring legacy of the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project delays and cost escalation

The Indian Express has reported that a reply to the RTI filed by activist Anil Galgali showed that the project, whose original cost was Rs 14, 712.70 crore, has seen a cost escalation of Rs 2,192 crore or 14.9 per cent to Rs 16,904.43 crore.

Initially scheduled for conclusion on September 22, 2022, the project encountered delays caused by Covid-related lockdowns, resulting in two deadline extensions — initially to September 22, 2023, and subsequently to December 15, 2023, both of which were not met. Authorities are currently aiming for the inauguration of the sea bridge in early 2024.

About Mumbai Trans Harbour Link

The 21.8-kilometre-long bridge will connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai. Post its completion, it will reportedly be the longest sea bridge in India. It will begin in Sewri, South Mumbai and terminate at Chirle village, near Nhava Sheva. It will pass through Thane Creek north of Elephant Island.

Of its 21.8-kilometre length, the length on sea is 16.50 kilometers and the land it is 5.5 kilometers. It will contain a 6-lane (3+3 lane) highway, in addition to one emergency lane on both sides. There are three interchanges, at Sewri in Mumbai, Shivaji-Nagar and SH-54 in Jasai and at Chirle on NH-348.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is overseeing the project’s execution.