Sewri Nhava Sheva Sea link: The Mumbai Trans Harbour link or Atal Setu bridge which has been in news recently is the longest sea bridge of India and the 12th longest bridge in the world.
It was inaugurated by our honorable prime minister Shri Narendra Modi on 12th January 2024. The bridge is mainly built to connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai and is likely to cut travel time between the places from 2 hours to 30 minutes.
It is a mega infrastructure project which has been pending since the 1960s. It is both the longest sea and longest bridge of India. It is about 21.8 Kilometers long six lane bridge and the bridge is 16.5 kilometers sea and 5.5 kilometers on land. It is definitely gonna show the picture of developed India and a Viksit Bharat and would showcase the capability of the Indian government in such areas of infrastructure development.
Earlier Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Bridge was the longest one in India which is over river Brahmaputra in Assam. It’s length is 9.15 km.
The Atal Setu bridge starts from Sewri in Mumbai and ends in Nhava sheva in Raigad district. The bridge would connect various places with Mumbai like it would connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, under construction Navi Mumbai international Airport, Pune expressway, Goa highway and would have interchanges at Shivaji Nagar and Chirle. The bridge was made with an estimated cost of Rs, 17843 crore.
History of the bridge – The Mumbai Trans Harbour link
The construction of the bridge was proposed in 1963 by the US consultancy firm Wilbur Smith which proposed a bay linking project to link Greater Mumbai and the mainland. After that various committees were formed between 1972 and 1978 but nothing became reality and went into cold storage.
There was always a discussion for its information because of the importance it carries and the traveling time which would be reduced through it. But then in 2017 the project was proposed and taken into the hands of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region development Authority and now in 2024 its construction is completed and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India on 22 January 2024.
Funding- Atal Setu Bridge
The Japan International cooperation Agency (JICA) financed 80% of the project cost and the remaining 20% was financed between the center and the state government.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also thanked the Japanese Government and remembered late Japanese Prime minister Shino Abe who vowed to complete the bridge. In this context let’s throw some light on India Japan relations.
India Japan relations
India and Japan are the countries of the Asian Continent and are always an ardent supporter of peace and believe in security m, stability and prosperity in Asia and also in the world. Both the countries focus on long term political, economic and strategic interests, aspirations and concerns.
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Both the countries perform military exercises like EX DHARMA GUARDIAN. And are also part of many international organizations like Shanghai cultural organization, G20, etc. And the relationship is also regulated through the high level ministerial and parliamentary exchanges which are held at regular intervals. The two countries are also vigilant on the activities and actions being taken by China in the south China sea which is one of the problems arising in the contemporary Times. Both the countries also focus on strengthening their cyber security.
And their financial help in the construction of the atal Setu is definitely an example of the relationship which both the countries have with each other.
Technologies used in making the Atal Setu Bridg
Orthotropic Steel Deck (OSD)- sewri nhava sheva sea link
It is a construction method which combines both flexibility and strength. It enables the bride’s Steel Deck to hold heavy vehicles and itself maintains a lightweight structure.
Reverse circulation drilling, pilings
It is used while drilling and is helpful due to low noise production during the process of construction. It was used for the first time in India.
Advanced technologies used – sewri nhava sheva sea link
Real time traffic information
The technology used in the Atal Setu Bridge would help in providing information about the conditions of traffic and also about the accidents that have taken place on the bridge and surrounding areas.
Eco friendly lightening
The lights used on the bridge are eco friendly in the sense that as we know that it is a sea bridge soany disturbance due to light would direct the ecology of the water animals. So to prevent it such lighighting is used so that it does not disturb the sea animals.
River circulation rings
Such a mechanism is used in its making so that the sound produced due to movement of vehicles on the Atal Setu Bridge would reduce their vibrations and the sound.
Open Road tolling System
In this system the toll would be automatically collected through the use of electronic toll collection(ETC). And would help in reducing time wastage which is usually done in tolls due to long lines of vehicles. And would help in reducing traffic and congestion at toll areas.
Effective Traffic management system
The management system can detect fog which leads to low visibility and even accidents. And the speed limit has also been regulated to be 100 km per hour for four wheelers. Around 70000 vehicles would travel through the bridge in a day.
Costs of traveling on the Atal Setu Bridge
- The cost for traveling on the Sewri Nhava Sheva Sea link bridge for a car for one way is Rs 250
- And the two way cost is Rs 370 per car.
- Monthly pass would cost Rs 12,500.
- And daily pass Rs 625.
Effect on tourism – sewri nhava sheva sea link
Because the construction of the Mumbai trans Harbour link or the Atal Setu would definitely help in the area of tourism. As due to its construction the traveling distance and cost would be reduced. And this is one of the major barriers which comes while someone thinks about traveling from one place to another. As it has reduced the traveling time from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai it would be feasible for people to travel through the bridge easily and also be time friendly.
And this major factor would increase people to go through the bridge and the traffic would also be regulated on the Setu which would reduce the possibility of getting frustrated in traffic for long periods. As earlier it used to take around 2 hours to travel from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai but now it would only take 20 to 22 minutes. This is definitely a big time gap which has been possible due to its construction.
Conclusion – sewri nhava sheva sea link
Atal Setu Nhava Sheva sea link is definitely an achievement for India in the present time. As a project which took around 6 decades to get enforced but it took only 8 years for its completion. So it is definitely an achievement for us as Indian citizens but also for the government who was capable of making the longest sea bridge of India. It would definitely show the picture of new India.
But such Constructions definitely impact the environmental balance of a place. As we know that the pollution through the construction of buildings bridges Towers leads to a lot of pollution and environmental damage. It also impacts the flora and fauna of the area and even the human beings living there. As these construction causes a lot of air pollution which can ultimately cause a lot of chronic diseases like cancer. So we need to understand that yes these construction processes are very important for the development of a country or area but we need to focus on the other factors also which is the environment balance. Due to such Constructions lot of calamities are happening around the world like earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides etc. We understand that there is a need for such development to be in pace with the other things but we need to ensure that we are using such Technology which is eco-friendly and does not hamper the environment at a large scale.
But its formation has definitely given an example of how efficient the government authorities are in terms of the construction of infrastructure in the country. And it also shows the willingness of the government towards the development factor. The bridge was named after the late Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee who himself was an epitome of perseverance.
And the use of Advanced technology in the building of the Sewri Nhava Sheva Sea link shows the mentality of the Indian government to implement Technologies of the new world and use them in a wiser way. Although the technology used in the construction by the government has ensured that the ecological balance of the sea is not disrupted by the use of the eco-friendly lights through the bridge. As it would help in maintaining the ecosystem of the sea on which the bridge has been made. Therefore such developments need to take place in our country for its people and their betterment but we again need to emphasize on the need of ecological balance as if the closing balance would be disturbed then we would definitely have to face the consequences or the repercussions which it will carry with itself.
