PM inaugurates ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’

Country’s longest sea bridge !

Mumbai – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Governor Ramesh Bais were present along with the Prime Minister. This bridge has opened for citizens from 12 ^th January. After the inauguration of Atal Setu, the Prime Minister inaugurated Digha Railway Station. He then travelled via the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.

Features of ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’.

This longest sea bridge in the country has been constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The total length of this bridge is 22 km. Of this, 16.5 km is over the sea and 5.5 km is over the land. Latest Japanese technology has been used for the construction of this bridge. 1,000 pillars have been erected on which this bridge is built.

70,000 vehicles can travel per hour on this bridge. This project costed Rs 21,000 crore and has been built in 3 parts namely sea, land and swamp. This bridge has been constructed under the guidance of experts from 10 countries. More than 1,500 engineers and more than 16,500 skilled workers worked round the clock in 3 shifts to construct this bridge. There are 3 lanes on each side of this bridge.

After the inauguration of the Atal Setu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled over the same bridge and reached the venue at Uran (District Raigad) where various welfare projects were inaugurated by him.

Characteristics of the steel used in the construction

A total of 1.2 lakh ton of steel and 8.8 lakh cubic metre of concrete has been used in this project. This much steel can build 4 Howrah Bridges of Kolkata. This bridge consumed 6 times as much concrete as consumed by the ‘Statue of Unity’. The steel used in this project is 17 times more than the steel used in the Eiffel Tower.

Atal Setu will accelerate the economy – Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

An earlier distance of 2 hours can now be covered in 20 minutes due to Atal Setu. This will save fuel and time. In future, this bridge will accelerate the economy. This bridge will connect Pune, Vasai, Virar and Goa to Mumbai.

Within 3-4 years. we shall fulfil the dream of reaching Mumbai in 1 hour from the suburbs – Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Coastal Road will be connected to the Atal Setu. A road to Bandra has also been connected to this bridge. The various routes connecting this bridge will create new Versova-Virar route and new Virar-Ramnath (Alibaug) route. The vision to reach Mumbai in 1 hour from the suburbs which was proposed by Prime Minister Modi in the year 2019 can now become a reality within 3-4 years because of the Atal Setu.

Prime Minister greeted with the chants of ‘Jai Shriram’

It was the dream of Late Balasaheb Thackeray that Shriram temple be built in Ayodhya. Stating that this dream has been fulfilled under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appealed to the audience to greet Prime Minister by chanting ‘Jai Shriram’, to which the audience stood up and chanted ‘Jai Shriram’.