"Trans-Harbour Link Nears Completion with 96% of Work Finished Ahead of December Deadline"

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has made significant strides in the construction of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Road (MTHL), with over 96% of the project nearing completion. Work is in full swing to meet the ambitious deadline set for December.

The viaduct and barrier-related tasks have been successfully accomplished, and the current focus is on finalizing the asphalt, installing lighting poles, CCTV cameras, and toll infrastructure.

An MMRDA official reported that all the ramps at Sewri Interchanges, which link local roads on either side, including Sewri, Shivajinagar, and Chirle, are now complete, and bituminous work on these roads is progressing as planned.

The process of appointing a contractor for a connector between Chirle and the Expressway is currently underway.

The MTHL project entails the installation of a total of 1,212 lighting poles, with 629 poles already in place. These poles feature a central control and monitoring system (CCMS) and are specifically designed to withstand the challenging conditions of the deep sea. They are equipped with corrosion-resistant polyurethane coating and galvanization to prevent rust, a structural design to withstand high wind velocities, and provide uniform illumination throughout the bridge. Additionally, the poles will be equipped with a lightning protection system to safeguard against potential lightning damage.

Seventy-eight out of a total of 130 CCTV poles have been erected, and the construction of the operation and control center is progressing well.

The MMRDA has also reported that 50% of the toll infrastructure work has been completed.

The MTHL is a 22-kilometer sea bridge, comprising a 16.5-kilometer sea portion and a 5.5-kilometer land portion, connecting the island city to the mainland. Once completed, it will be India's longest sea bridge and will accommodate approximately 70,000 vehicles daily.

During the peak of construction, around 14,000 individuals were employed, with a need for skilled workers at all stages of the project. The construction of the Sewri side of the bridge and the land-related work was entrusted to a consortium of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Japan's IHI Infrastructure Systems. The Navi Mumbai side of the bridge was assigned to Daewoo-Tata. Groundwork commenced in April 2018.

However, the project cost experienced an escalation, increasing from Rs 4,500 crore in 2005 to Rs 17,843 crore in 2018, with approximately 85% of the funding provided through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

ET