Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 21.8-kilometre-long bridge Atal Setu also known as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and reducing travel time. Here are the top ten unique features of the bridge:
- A team of over six IIT Bombay scholars joined hands and designed the bridge in 2018. In just half a year, they submitted their report for this grand project.
- The bridge has a 16.5 km length over the sea and about 5.5 km on the land
- As per Professor Deepankar Choudhury, Head of Civil Engineering at IIT Bombay, the bridge has been designed to withstand four different types of earthquakes of up to 6.5 magnitude.
- As per the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the travel time between Sewri and Chirle will now be reduced from 121 minutes to less than 20 minutes.
- The Setu has been built to accommodate around 70,000 vehicles and reduce growing traffic congestion in the area.
- Travellers will have to pay ₹250 for a one-way toll for the bridge. However, charges for the return journeys as well as for daily and frequent travellers will be different.
- The bridge weighs 17 times the weight of the steel used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and is equivalent to the weight of 500 Boeing planes.
- The specially designed lighting poles used on the Atal Setu do not disturb the aquatic environment. Several innovative technologies were used for the first time in India for constructing this bridge. It has been termed an 'engineering marvel' by experts because of the orthotropic steel decks that help in giving huge spans. River circulation rings have also been used to minimise sound and vibrations to safeguard marine life.
- The bridge will also strengthen connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers on the MTHL will be 100 kilometres per hour, while motorbikes, autorickshaws and tractors won’t be allowed on the sea bridge.
- The toll charge might be revised after a year following a review.
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