Mumbai’s new lifeline: Atal Setu Bridge

Representative Image

MUMBAI, Maharashtra: The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the historic Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, which is India’s longest sea bridge, in Mumbai.

This 21-kilometer-long and six-lane bridge connects Mumbai to Navi Mumbai over Thane Creek in the Arabian Sea, enhancing connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region—Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad. It will provide swifter access to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport, reducing travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, and South India. The bridge will also enhance connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

The bridge comprises a stretch of 16.5 km over the sea and 5.5 km on land, designed to withstand moderate earthquakes, considering Mumbai’s location in a moderate earthquake risk zone. Professor Deepankar Choudhury, Head of civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, part of a team of over six IIT Bombay scholars designing the bridge, mentioned, “Given that a significant portion of the bridge is constructed over the sea, we had to account for the impact of seismic activity on the underlying soil. It has been engineered to endure four different types of earthquakes, up to 6.5 magnitudes.”

Featuring an Open Road Tolling (ORT) system, the one-way toll for each vehicle is set at Rs 250, with a return trip costing Rs 370, representing 1.5 times the original toll.

In 2017, the Government of Maharashtra tasked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) with conceptualising the bridge. To facilitate the project’s progression, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided an official development loan of Rs 18,000 crore.

Beyond the reduction in travel time, the full potential of the Atal Setu will be realised upon the completion of projects including the Eastern Freeway-Marine Drive tunnel, Sewri-Worli elevated corridor, Chirle-Palaspe connection with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, as well as the Navi Mumbai International Airport.