Mumbai to bridge the gulf tomorrow

SANJAY DUTT, MANAGING director of Tata Realty & Infrastructure, is looking forward to Friday (tomorrow) when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the 21.8-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), which will connect Sewri in South Mumbai to Chirle near Navi Mumbai.

- RAGHAVENDRA KAMATH

• PM TO INAUGURATE INDIA'S LONGEST SEA BRIDGE

"I am really looking forward to drive on it in a pollution-free environment when I travel to other side of the city," Dutt says about the project that will see Mumbai taking another giant step towards better road connectivity. Besides lane driving and wider roads, absence of traffic jams should be the icing on the cake, Dutt adds.

He is among thousands of Mumbaikars who are waiting eagerly for the D-day to arrive. "It is a proud moment for each and every Mumbaikar who will save hours of commute while driving on the nation's longest sea bridge," says Gautam Hari Singhania, chairman and managing director of Raymond.

Officially called the "Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu", it will cut travel time between the two nodes from two-and-a-half hours to just 20 minutes. It is estimated that 10 million litres of fuel will be saved annually.

The engineering marvel costing ₹17,843 crore has many unique features - about 16.5 km of the stretch is on sea and 5.5 km on land. The speed limit will be 100 km per hour (a dream for most Mumbaikars), cameras every 330 metres, noise barriers in the first 4 km, and view barriers for added security, commuters have a lot to watch out for, too.

AFTER THE INITIAL 10 kms, commuters can enjoy stunning views of Mumbai's skyline and the Elephanta Caves.