75000 workers, working together, have fulfilled a 60-year-old dream of Mumbai, and on Friday 12th January 2024, Prime Minister Modi is going to inaugurate it. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, officially Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Trans Harbour Link also named Atal Setu, which connects Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, is a six lane 21.8-kilometer-long bridge and 12th longest bridge in the world. It is the longest sea-bridge in India
In the 1990s, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) initiated studies to address increasing traffic congestion and accidents between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The existing narrow and outdated bridges over Thane Creek were inadequate for future traffic needs, leading to prolonged commute times. To alleviate these issues, MMRDA proposed a comprehensive link between the two cities, and in 2015, the project received approval from the Government of India and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in December 2016, with an initial completion target of 2021. Construction began in April 2018, aiming for completion by 2022. However, delays occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the completion date to December 2023. The project is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on January 12, 2024
In 2004, they tried to build a sea link, but the plan by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services was ignored by the Maharashtra government for unknown reasons.
In 2005, they tried again, but the bids were seen as unrealistic. The Reliance Energy-Hyundai group won the bid in 2008 after overcoming disqualification and legal challenges. However, the government wasn’t sure if the short concession period was practical, and they thought both bids seemed not sensible. After many attempts, construction of this sea bridge started in 2018.