To be ready soon, MTHL yet to have ancillary systems in place
The 21.8-kilometre six-lane access controlled bridge from Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai has three interchanges.
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Work on the actual MTHL deck, however, is going on in full flow. MMRDA officials said that civil work will be completed on the entire stretch before December 25. (File Photo) Even as the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), which is nearing completion, is likely to be open for public soon, questions are being raised over its efficacy in the absence of adequate systems to ensure smooth traffic flow from the bridge.
The 21.8-kilometre six-lane access controlled bridge from Sewri in Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai has three interchanges. One interchange is at Sewri in South Mumbai, connecting MTHL to Eastern Freeway (Mumbai Side), second at Shivaji Nagar in Ulwe connecting MTHL to Navi Mumbai Coastal Road Project and the third at Chirle interchange — where one arm will connect the State Highway-54 and the second arm will connect NH4 Mumbai Pune Highway.
The ancillary infrastructure that needs to be in place at the end of these connectors, however, is absent yet, raising concern over the efficacy of the main purpose of the bridge of speeding up traffic flow by avoiding bottlenecks.
For instance, while the Shivaji Nagar connector at Ulwe is supposed to have six ramps, only two would initially open, catering solely to smaller vehicles, as per MMRDA sources.
“The aim was for all six ramps to link up with the coastal road, but at present, there’s just one available road for the Ulwe Uran node. Permitting heavy vehicles from the MTHL Ulwe interchange would lead to severe congestion, impacting both the interchange and the sealink,” said the source.
To avert this congestion, it was proposed that the Navi Mumbai Coastal Road be constructed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). The six-lane road would connect Aamra Marg after the Panvel Creek Bridge with MTHL at Shivaji Nagar Ulwe allowing for smooth dispersal of traffic. Work on this stretch has, however, not picked up, raising questions on whether it could create traffic hindrance at Ulwe side once the MTHL is thrown open.
The Sewri-Worli connector that was planned to facilitate movement from MTHL to the western suburbs is also expected to be completed only by 2025.
Work on the actual MTHL deck, however, is going on in full flow. MMRDA officials said that civil work will be completed on the entire stretch before December 25. However, ancillary systems that need to be put in place will take time and the bridge will be open for public only by early next year.
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