India's Longest Sea Bridge: Over 50 Lakh Vehicles Have Used Atal Setu In Seven Months
The bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai and is officially named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri–Nhava Sheva Atal Setu.
More than 50 lakh vehicles have used India's longest sea bridge, Atal Setu, in a span of seven months since its inauguration on January 13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the sea bridge on January 12, and it was open for the public from the next day.
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), in a media release on Monday, said 50,04,350 vehicles, including BEST buses, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)'s Shivneri buses, and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) buses have travelled on the bridge from January 13 to August 26. This means almost 22,000 vehicles have used the sea bridge daily on average.
"The Atal Setu's successful operation has significantly improved Mumbai's traffic flow. The fact that over 50 lakh vehicles have used the bridge since its inauguration highlights its critical role in the city’s infrastructure," said MMRDA commissioner, Dr Sanjay Mukherjee.
The 21.5-km-long Atal Setu was designed and built to accelerate South Mumbai's connectivity to several significant regions, including the impending Navi Mumbai International Airport. The bridge connects Sewri in Mumbai to Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai and is officially named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri–Nhava Sheva Atal Setu.
The official MMRDA release said, "The extraordinary usage highlights the bridge's role in easing congestion and reducing travel time between south Mumbai and key destinations such as Panvel, Pune, and Navi Mumbai. Atal Setu's impact extends beyond mere traffic management. It has significantly improved connectivity between south Mumbai and other major regions, including the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport."
Furthermore, the Worli-Sewri elevated road is now 75% completed and citizens can travel from Worli Seaface to Atal Setu in 5-10 minutes.
The release elaborated that an elevated road between the Chirle Interchange and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will ensure faster and better connectivity between South Mumbai, the western suburbs, Panvel, Navi Mumbai, Pune, and the Mumbai-Pune highway.
