Atal Setu launch: India's longest bridge to shorten travel time to 20 minutes. Top points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the country's longest bridge, built over the Thane Creek in the Arabian Sea, connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and dramatically reducing travel time. The 21.8-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, officially named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, will launch today around 3:30 pm.

The six-lane bridge has a 16.5 km stretch over the sea and about 5.5 km on land. The conceptualisation of this bridge was made six decades ago with the aim of connecting Mumbai's Sewri to Raigad's Chirle.

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Travel time to cut short below 20 minutes

1. Building the Atal Setu aims to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.
2. According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the travel time between Sewri and Chirle will now be reduced from 61 minutes to less than 20 minutes.
3. It will provide faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
4. Travellers will be charged ₹250 for a one-way toll for the bridge. The charges for the return journey and frequent commuters will vary.
5. The toll charge may be revised after a year following a review.
6. The maximum speed limit for four-wheelers has been kept at 100 km/hour. Two-wheelers, tractors and autorickshaws would not be allowed on the bridge.
7. Nearly 70,000 vehicles are expected to run across the bridge daily.
8. The bridge weighs 17 times the weight of the steel used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
9. Apart from reducing the travel time, the actual potential of the Atal Setu will be unveiled after 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.