Bridging Mumbai east to west, MTHL to save time, fuel

Moreover, MTHL will change the travel pattern of Mumbai to east-west from existing north-south which is a much longer commute, and over the years has proven a disadvantage to the city as compared with other cities. Real estate experts believe the market will see significant growth.

Gautam Thacker, Chairman NAREDCO Neral-Karjat unit, said, “The Mumbai address has changed as a lot of construction has begun in MMR. Many homebuyers are showing interest in properties in MMR. With the upcoming MTHL and Navi Mumbai Airport projects, untouched areas will see significant growth. It is a given, that connectivity has a positive impact on real estate development. Micro markets like Ulwe, Panvel, Kharghar among others are seeing growth in real estate pricing, and it will go up further.”

MTHL will accelerate growth in Mumbai and MMR in terms of economy, as India envisages to become a 5 trillion growth economy. The MTHL will give impetus to economic growth by opening up new avenues and businesses opportunities, an MMRDA official said.

Meanwhile, the state government has fixed a toll charge of Rs 250 per car for a one way trip on the MTHL, with a concession option for frequent, regular commuter and pass holders. Currently, distance by road from Sewri to Chirle is 52km. The MTHL bridge over the sea, will reduce the distance to 21.8 kms. The current distance is not time or pocket friendly.

MTHL will connect Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle on NH-4B in Navi Mumbai and will further connect to Mumbai-Pune Express Highway via a separate project.

The 3+3 lane sea bridge is 22 km with 16.5 km on the sea bridge and 5.5 km viaducts on land on either side. The link has interchanges at Sewri and Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai, and with NH-4B at Chirle in Navi Mumbai. This bridge will have a capacity to carry 70,000 vehicles per day, reducing the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to just 20 minutes, saving time, fuel and will help reduce carbon emissions drastically.