The iconic Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), claimed to be India’s longest sea bridge, is likely to be open to the public by the end of this year.

On 25 May 2023, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis flagged off the first bus to cross the MTHL.

Here’s all you need to know about the bridge.

Officials say that with MTHL, it will be possible to travel from Sewri in central Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai in 15 to 20 minutes.

It is expected to help speed up the traffic between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, as well as facilitate the traffic from Mumbai to Pune and Goa.

In a first-of-its-kind move, orthotropic steel deck technology has been used in its construction. This will “improve the load-carrying capacity of the bridge as compared to concrete superstructure”.

It is expected to save fuel, transportation costs, and an hour of travel time. Interestingly, it has an open road tolling system wherein vehicles will not have to stop on the bridge for paying toll.

“[It is] next generation infrastructure which will boost ‘Ease of Living’ for people,” tweeted PM Narendra Modi, lauding India’s longest sea bridge.

The 22-km long and 30.1-metre-wide MTHL is a six-lane bridge. Once completed, it would be the longest sea bridge in India and would cater to 70,000 vehicles per day.

It is being built at a cost of over Rs 17,800 crore by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).