The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, built at cost of about Rs 17,840 crore, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today in the afternoon. The 21.8 kilometer bridge will ease access to the satellite city of Navi Mumbai. PM Modi will also unveil projects worth over Rs 30,500 crore in the state.
The bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Raigad district, reducing the travel time from the current two hours to approximately 15-20 minutes. Atal Setu took two decades to be built after it was conceived, during which time it has overcome environmental concerns and cost escalations.
The foundation stone of the bridge was laid by PM Modi in December 2016.
An official release said that PM Modi’s vision is to improve ‘ease of mobility’ of citizens by strengthening urban transport infrastructure and connectivity. The Mumbai Transharbour link (MTHL), now named ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri – Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’ has been built in line with this vision, it said.