More than 3 lakh vehicles have used the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) on the back of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) tweaking toll charges, as per government sources.
This is on the back of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) tweaking toll charges to Rs 200 from Rs 250, for the Shivaji Nagar Ulwe to Sewri stretch, and vice versa.
The new rates for the largely used Ulwe-Sewri stretch have been operationalised as of January 17 and will be in effect for one year.
Autocar Professional spoke to MMRDA sources who said that users disembarking from the Mumbai-Pune expressway prefer to use the sea bridge to reach Mumbai, along with commuters who want to reach Navi Mumbai from Sewri finding the ride a respite from the heavy traffic jams, which takes the journey to as much as 2.5 hours in peak traffic.
However, the toll charges from Sewri to Chirle, which is the full length of the ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu," has been unchanged at Rs 250.
The bridge, built at a cost of $2.2 billion, has also seen an increase in usage not only from passenger car owners but also from transportation and logistics operators.
India's longest sea bridge, the 21.8km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), has cut the journey time from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai to a mere 20 minutes from the 2.5 hours it used to take earlier. It was opened to the public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12, 2024.