Entire 16.5km of Mumbai Trans Harbour Link deck to be ready by May 26

MUMBAI: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will complete the work of laying of deck on the entire 16.5km sea bridge stretch of Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) by May 25-26.
The MMRDA's goal is to open the entire bridge connecting the island city of Mumbai to Navi Mumbai by December 2023. Nearly, 180m of the deck remains to be launched. Metropolitan commissioner SVR Srinivas told TOI, "The entire deck will laid by May 25-26, after which vehicles will be allowed to take the bridge." It's necessary to complete the work before the arrival of monsoon as ferrying machinery and material when there's strong current in the water will be huge task."After launch of the entire deck, all energies will be utilised on water proofing, asphalting and construction of crash barriers," said Srinivas.

Simultaneously, systems-related work, like installation of CCTV cameras, lamppost and toll infrastructure, will also continue. On May 9, engineers completed the task of launching Orthotropic Steel Deck (OSD), which are being used for the first time in country for the construction of Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).
In MTHL, OSDs are being used for spans up to 180m without any cable stays/suspensions. It will provide unobstructed navigation passage to ships sailing under the bridge. Motorist can zoom past the bridge at a maximum speed of 100kmph. Also, for the first time in India, there will be open road tolling (ORT) system which will make conventional toll booths causing traffic snarls redundant.
The major advantage of ORT is that users are able to drive through toll plaza at highway speeds without having to slow down to pay the toll. Artificial Intelligence-based cameras will be installed that will alert the control room about any vehicle breakdown that will inturn be towed away via emergency lanes. This will also help reduce congestion as vehicles will not remain abandoned on the carriageway for long.
The six-lane bridge is among the most expensive project and is estimated to cost Rs 17,843 crore.