On Day 1 post-inauguration, over 45,000 enjoy drive on India’s longest sea bridge

MUMBAI: A day after PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s longest sea bridge, MTHL aka Atal Behari Vajpayee Nhava Seva bridge, curiosity drove more than 45,000 people to the 21.8-km scenic stretch on Saturday, when it was thrown open to the public.

Besides a beaming sense of pride, the bridge — that shrinks the distance between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai to less than 20 minutes — filled many who had travelled from distant Kalyan and Juinagar with a sense of renewed proximity to the city.

While a smooth signal-free ride over the eastern water front was a big draw, several visitors in the 8,500-odd vehicles that plied here on January 13 till 7pm, described it as an ‘engineering marvel’ but admitted in the same breath that they may not be able to afford daily commute owing to the high one-way toll of Rs 250. Some felt a carpool option may make things easier. Till late in the night, the number of vehicles that took the bridge reached roughly 12,000, taking the number of first day visitors to approximately 45,000.

From the Chirle-end (equidistant from Panvel and Belapur), Panvel residents Aashutosh Kale and his wife Kshipra were among the first to arrive along with their mothers, while at the Sewri-end, a group of marathoners from Ghatkopar-Chembur — who had just finished an 18km run between NCPA and Haji Ali — were among the early birds. The runners left gushing about the “well-built” bridge.

A nearby emergency lane filled up with parked cars of families that stepped out to take selfies against the sea, the flamingoes and the floating balloons. Many took group photos and selfies. “It is the most sophisticated bridge that I have seen. The road surface is of extremely superior quality,” said civil engineer Sameer Zemse.

Infrastructure enthusiast Jaideep Kane — who has documented the construction of the bridge through videos, called the bridge a “huge boon” for people in Panvel-Raigad belt, particularly to those who have to come to Mumbai to catch a flight or board an outstation train from CSMT. “A Panvel resident will save at least 20 minutes of time going to the airport as they can now avoid the congested stretches in Mumbai,” said Kane.

While the dread of traffic jams would keep Atul Kulkarni from visiting the city on weekends earlier, the Panvel resident, who reached Sewri within 30 minutes on Saturday, is now planning to drive down regularly to explore food joints in South Mumbai with his family.

Akola residents Vishal Khandare and Nikhil Khandare, who had come for a tour of the city, told their driver to take them to the bridge. “He said there will be additional cost due to toll but we were eager to take pics on this bridge,” said Vishal. “Hope authorities are as keen on infra in interiors of Maharashtra too,” said Nikhil. Mukesh Bagwe, who is in the transport sector, sensed a business opportunity. “There is a huge opportunity to earn Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 if shuttle service is opened by private taxi operators between Ulwe and CSMT at Rs 150 per seat.”

Pradeep Ghorpade, a regular commuter from Belapur, said a two-way toll of Rs 90 at Vashi would be more within his reach. He also felt his friends living between Vashi and Koparkhairane might not favour the bridge as reaching Chirle may prove cumbersome for them.

For G Shrikanth from Ambernath, it took precisely one hour to hit the freeway via MTHL after the link was opened from Chirle-end at 8.12am. According to him, it’s a weekend joyride to Mumbai for people living in far distant suburbs but will quickly decongest Mumbai’s arterial roads of heavy vehicles and cars which travel to Konkan-Goa, Pune-Bangalore and Nashik-Aurangabad-Nagpur highways.

“Driving on a bridge discussed since my school days was surreal,” says tech entrepreneur Faisal Farooqui. “The bridge is an engineering marvel, but the steel barriers limit the view of the Arabian Sea and Mumbai harbour, which could be open to enhance the experience. The lanes felt narrow, but it’s a minor point on an impressive drive,” added Farooqui.

Social media exploded with reactions, videos and selfies of Mumbaikars. “This bridge is so new, the navigation still thinks you are in the sea,” said a Mumbaikar from his car in a video posted on X. “I am glad to witness the inauguration of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). This monumental infrastructure project is set to usher in positive changes in the lives of Mumbaikars, connecting communities and fostering progress,” posted former union minister Milind Deora on social media. Some also put up night views of the bridge lit up in tungsten glow while others posted the board displaying the various toll rates.

(Input from Sharmila Ganesan Ram)