A mishap occurred on Sunday at the newly inaugurated Atal Setu, India’s longest sea bridge. The incident involved a Maruti car with two women and three children who lost control of the vehicle on the road. Fortunately, they only suffered minor injuries.
The travelers were on route from Chirle to Mumbai when the accident occurred, with the incident being captured on camera from another vehicle. This marks the first accident on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Trans Harbor Link, also known as Atal Setu, in Navi Mumbai. The bridge was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on January 12.
The newly constructed bridge is a six-lane, 21.8 km long structure, developed at a cost of over 18,000 crores. It starts from Sewri in Mumbai and extends to Nhava Sheva in Uran Taluka, Raigad district.
Designed to facilitate faster access to both Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport, the bridge significantly cuts down travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa, and South India. It also enhances connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
This sea bridge has remarkably reduced the Mumbai to Navi Mumbai travel time to just 20 minutes, a journey that previously took about 2 hours. For a one-way trip across the bridge, travelers are charged a toll of 250 rupees. The rates for return journeys and frequent commuters, however, vary.
On the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the maximum speed limit for four-wheelers is set at 100 km/h. However, the speed limit is restricted to 40 km/h on both the ascent and descent of the bridge.