The 21.8 km-long, 6-lane access-controlled MTHL has been making waves as India’s longest sea bridge and a vital new link between Mumbai and its satellite city, Navi Mumbai. Constructed by L&T Construction, L&T’s construction arm, the bridge has been meticulously planned, executed with cutting-edge technology and innovative construction methodologies, overcoming some formidable challenges in the process.
Built with utmost care for the environment, the imposing bridge co-exists with 24,000+ flamingos and various migratory birds and aquatic life on the mudflats. In fact, right through the construction process, no effort was spared to keep their habitat undisturbed.
The amount of steel used to construct the MTHL is staggering: equal to the building 3 Howrah Bridges. The amount of reinforcement steel used is enough to build 12 Eiffel Towers!A special Orthoscopic Steel Deck (OSD) has been used at MTHL for larger span-less stretches. The largest of the OSDs is 180 m long and weighing 2,600 tons, equivalent to the weight of 5-6 jumbo jets!
The amount of steel wires used for prestressing to construct the MTHL is equivalent to the earth’s circumference.
The marine construction fleet employed for this monumental construction covers approximately 65,000 square meters (other than the OSD barge), akin to a floating cricket ground at sea. The special barge designed and built to transport the OSDs for erection is 110 m x 65 m in size – the size of a soccer field.Surprisingly, the vehicles involved in the project covered distances equivalent to reaching the moon on one side – about 384,000 kilometers.
The deepest pile used in the construction reaches an astounding 154 feet beneath the seabed.
MTHL’s construction and durability parameters are noteworthy. The concrete’s density restricts the Chloride Migration Coefficient to an astonishingly low level of just 2 x 10-12 sqm/second i.e., 11 zeros before we can see a number after the decimal point.
MTHL has been built to last a hundred years.The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link stands as an epitome of human achievement: featuring innovation, engineering brilliance, and environmental stewardship. Its colossal scale, size and scope is a wonderful testament of India’s ambitious infrastructure development. It embodies a commitment to environmental harmony and building sustainable infrastructure.