Page 24 - CO_Feb_2023

COVER STORY

access-controlled connectivity to Jaipur from the Delhi-Mumbai in Navi Mumbai. The Japanese International Cooperation Agency
expressway — will be completed. is financing 85% of the project. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region
By March, construction on the expressway will be completed up Development Authority (MMRDA), a Maharashtra government
to Sawai Madhopur, serving as an exit to Ranthambore and Tonk. agency, which is the implementing authority for the six-lane MTHL
According to Nitin Gadkari, the travel time between Delhi and project.
Mumbai will reduce to barely 12 hours after the entire expressway The MMRDA recently successfully launched the first longest
is completed. The project will have several firsts, including wayside Orthotropic Steel Deck (OSD) in package-2 of MTHL. This ‘longest
amenities for commuters, food courts, play areas for children, sea bridge in the country’ will be the first to have an Open Road
first-aid centres, mini-trauma care facilities, and helipads for Tolling (ORT) system.
quick evacuation in case of emergencies. “The Expressway will
have a catalytic impact in the developmental trajectory of all Navi Mumbai International Airport
adjoining regions, thus contributing in a major way in the economic The `16,700 crore project is being executed by a special-purpose
transformation of the country,” the prime minister’s office said in a vehicle formed by Adani Airports Holdings Limited and CIDCO
statement. under the name Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL).
The airport will cover an area of 1,160 hectares. The construction
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link began in August 2021 and is projected to be completed by 2025.
The project, started in April 2018, and currently under progress The airport will have a total apron size of 67,000 sqm (720,000
is one of the mega projects with an estimated cost of `14,000 sqft), a terminal area of 17,000 sqm (180,000 sqft), and parking
crore. MTHL project, a 21.8 km long, 6-lane access-controlled sea for 10 code C aircraft. There will be two runways, one of which
bridge, once completed, will have the capacity to accommodate will be operational in Phase 1. It will include three interconnected
70,000–80,000 vehicles per year. Expected to be completed by state-of-the-art terminal buildings. It will serve as a secondary airport
this year end as planned, the bridge will connect Sewri in Mumbai for Mumbai and have the capacity to handle 25 million passengers
to Chirle in Navi Mumbai. It currently stands at 90% complete. The per year in its first phase, with plans to expand to over 90 million
MMRDA is aiming to open it by November this year. passengers in its final stage.
The bridge will significantly reduce travel time between South To give an aesthetic motif, the structures will be formed like lotuses.
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, taking it down to a mere 15 to 20 In the initial phase, the airport will also contain a low-cost airline
minutes, as opposed to the current two hours. It will provide direct terminal capable of processing two million passengers each year.
access to Nhava Sheva Port, Mumbai-Goa Highway, Mumbai-Pune The domestic freight terminal will be 33,000 sqm (360,000 sqft), while
Expressway, and the new international airport under construction the international cargo terminal will be 23,700 sqm (255,000 sqft).

24 CONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES|FEBRUARY 2023