MUMBAI: Chief minister
Uddhav Thackeray will be launching the first girder for the
Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link
(MTHL) this week. Mantralaya sources said the function at Sewri is likely to be held on Wednesday after the weekly cabinet meeting. The project is estimated to cost Rs 18,000 crore.
Conceived in the 70s, the MTHL took over 40 years to be implemented. As one of the environment mitigation measures, it even carved out a nearly 16.97 sq km Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary.
MMRDA awarded contracts for the project in November 2017; construction began in April 2018, and it is scheduled to be completed by 2022. The MMRDA estimates that 70,000 vehicles will use the bridge daily after it opens.
The 22km bridge will begin at Sewri, cross Thane creek north of Elephanta Island and end at Chirle village near Nhava Sheva. It will be linked to Mumbai-Pune Expressway in the east and to coastal road in the west. The sea link will be a six-lane highway, 27 metres wide in addition to two emergency exit lanes. It will also connect to the Navi Mumbai international airport.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.