Mumbai-Navi Mumbai bridge will let commuters cross toll booth at 100 kmph

Paying toll tax can be cumbersome as sometimes we have to wait in long lines of cars, all spewing smoke and ruining a perfect evening drive. But if plans for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) come to fruition, you will be able to zoom past the toll booth at 100 kmph and still make the payment.

The under-construction Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) will be India's longest sea bridge upon completion. It will also be the first sea bridge in India to have an Open Road Tolling (ORT) system. This means commuters will not need to slow down to pay toll charges.

MTHL is being built at a cost of more than USD 2 billion. When completed, the bridge will cater to about 70,000vehicles. Media reports say that 95 per cent of the work has been completed and the bridge will be ready before the year ends.

"Work on structures is almost complete. Tomorrow evening, at an event, we are going to connect the bridge to the mainland. The remaining work -- road laying, electrical, intelligent transport system (electronic tolling) -- will be done after the event. It is possible to achieve the target we set two years ago, to finish by December end this year," said SVR Srinivas, the commissioner of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

Increased connectivity

This bridge will connect Mumbai and its satellite city Navi Mumbai. The commute time will just be 12 to 15 minutes. This is a significant decrease from the several hours it takes today. The bridge will connect Mumbai to the mainland.

Media reports said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will visit the site on Wednesday evening.

The Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) was planned around 30 years ago. The aim was to speed up traffic between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. It was also planned to encourage traffic from Mumbai to Pune and Goa.



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