No two and three-wheelers, speed limit of 100 km/hr: Traffic rules for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, India’s longest sea bridge

The overall manpower of the three traffic police divisions in Mumbai—Wadala, Pydhonie and Azad Maidan— have been increased significantly in case of additional requirement due to increased vehicular traffic added by MTHL, an officer said.

The longest sea bridge of the country, officially called Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link, will be inaugurated on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be opened to the public on Saturday, January 13.

No entry for two and three-wheelers

A speed limit of 100-kmph has been set for the MTHL, and while ascending and descending the flyover, the speed limit will be 40 kmph.

A traffic police source said speed cameras and cameras with video analytic features will capture traffic violations, including speed restriction. The feed of these cameras will be integrated with the main and traffic control rooms of the police force, to ensure no violators are spared penalty. A traffic police team on the sea bridge will patrol the stretch and penalise violators. The current speed limit is mandated until the next order.

Traffic police have also restricted entries of two-wheelers and three-wheelers on the bridge. Police have also banned the entry of mopeds, auto-rickshaws, three-wheeler tempos, tractors, tractors with unladen trolleys, animal-drawn vehicles and slow-moving vehicles.

Multi-axle trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles are restricted from entry on the eastern freeway. They will have to use Mumbai Port-Sewri exit (exit 1C) to Gaadi Adda, MbPT Road for further movement.

Bottleneck jams at Mumbai end

The entry and exit on the Mumbai side of MTHL are likely to experience heavy traffic jams in the initial days as the bridge has no exit on RA Kidwai Marg, as yet. Motorists have to first go to the eastern freeway and then to RA Kidwayi marg. MMRDA plans to build the said exit ramp along with construction of MTHL’s connecting road to Sewri-Worli flyover, sources said. “Traffic jams will get worse without the Karnac Bunder flyover,” a traffic police officer said.

Safety rules to avert mishaps

Special commissioner of police Deven Bharti while reviewing security arrangements on the sea link pointed out an important aspect. The senior IPS officer told traffic police department that he could foresee a criss-cross situation between heavy vehicles and regular vehicles at the Mumbai exit side of the bridge, which may lead to accidents. This was immediately brought to the notice of MMRDA on Wednesday, whereby rumblers indicating ‘criss-cross patch ahead’ 50-metres would be installed before the exit suggesting that motorists slow down.