This road will cut one hour off Goa road trip

About 65 per cent of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project is ready, and it is expected to be complete in 2023. File pic/Ashish Raje

If all goes as planned, motorists travelling to Pune, Bengaluru and Goa would be able to avoid traffic in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and save nearly an hour, in the coming years. The MMRDA has planned to connect the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The link between the two would help motorists from south and central Mumbai bypass traffic by taking the MTHL in Sewri and connecting directly to the expressway. According to the plan, the 40 km-plus link would begin from Chirle, at the exit of MTHL, and go up to the expressway near Khalapur toll plaza.

"We have invited tenders for appointment of a consultant for the preparation of a detailed project report for connecting the MTHL to Mumbai-Pune Expressway. We are expecting a good response from the bidders," said an official. The consultant will suggest the best alignment to connect the two.

At present, south and central Mumbai motorists take the Eastern Express Highway while heading towards Pune, Bengaluru and Goa, facing a lot of traffic jams. The proposed link would reduce the travel time by 45 minutes to 1 hour, said officials.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had been planning this link road for over a decade now. Another link road they have been considering would connect the MTHL to National Highway-17, which takes the traffic towards south India. If planned and executed, this link road would start at Chirle and join NH-17 near Chirner-Kharpada.

The MTHL has been identified as an important infrastructure to improve the connectivity between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and to continue economic development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The project is estimated to cost Rs 17,843 crore. While 80 per cent of the pier work is done, the overall project is about 65 per cent ready, with an aim to complete it in 2023.