MTHL: WORK in PROGRESS:The Times of India

The MTHL is an ambitious project that promises Mumbai residents easy commute. We trace the ups and downs of this yet-to-be-completed project and the repercussions it would have on the surrounding areas

“Manhattan faces much of the same land constraints as Mumbai and one can not forget the fact that it is a peninsular city. However, efficient and farsighted planning has ensured its evolution over and under the ground with skyscrapers and underground metros, which maximise the land-use. Its local railways connect locations upto 132 kms away and ferries provide connectivity to dense residential hubs like New Jersey. Using this example as a model, the existing FSI norms for a frontline city like Mumbai must be relaxed to maximise land-use. The Trans Harbour Link alone, can unlock an area many times that of existing Mumbai,“ says Pranay Vakil, chairman, Praron Consulting.

A strong advocate of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project, changing the urban landscape of Mumbai, Vakil, however, is disappointed with the slow pace of development. The urban infrastructure has not kept pace with the massive influx of people. Roads are in a constant state of disrepair, perpetual traffic congestion and an overstressed rail network, are characteristics of our transportation system. One only has to look global at leading western cities like Manhattan and London, which have multiple efficient lines of commute into the CBDs.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), also known as Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, is a proposed 22 km, freeway grade road bridge, connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai. When completed, it would be the longest sea bridge in India. The bridge will begin in Sewri, south Mumbai and cross the Thane Creek, north of Elephanta Island and will terminate at Chirle village, near Nhava Sheva. The road will be linked to the Mumbai Pune Expressway in the east and to the proposed Western Freeway in the west.

The sea link will contain a six lane highway, which will be 27 meters in width, in addition to the edge strip and the crash barrier. The project is estimated to cost Rs 11000 crores and is officially estimated to be completed in 2019, although, as of 2015, construction has not begun, the tendering has not been completed (despite three attempts) and funding remains uncertain.

The Maharashtra government, on its part, claims that the much-anticipated 22.5 km stretch of the MTHL that will connect Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, will meet its scheduled deadline of 2019. The chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis affirmed that the state government is working on a war-footing to resolve all the technical and financial issues that have hit the project.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has now decided to carry out the project on a cash contract basis, after it failed to receive a single bid from any of the pre-qualified consortia in 2013. The state was initially planning to carry out the project on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. The built environment of Mumbai's real estate sector is disappointed with the delay and uncertainty and Vakil's take comes as a voice of the industry but he is not alone in his outburst. Abhay Kumar, CMD of Grih Pravesh Buildteck, points out that perhaps no other ambitious urban infrastructure project that is touted as a game changer, has waited for more than 30 years, yet, has no takers and its future appears to be delayed, if not denied. According to him, the project would have improved the connectivity between Mumbai and its neighbouring satellite townships. It also has the potential to be a game-changer in the urban landscape of the city by providing the muchimproved infrastructure. “It will decongest the city, with people looking for affordable homes at the other end of the project. With land becoming increasingly scarce in Mumbai, it is essential for urban planners to look for land parcels in Navi Mumbai and other areas to develop mass and affordable housing, with improved connectivity to Mumbai. We are, however, happy to note that the MMRDA is now looking at executing the project on its own,“ says Kumar.

Brotin Banerjee, MD and CEO of Tata Housing, points out that connectivity along with the cost of land, are amongst the main factors that affect the growth of real estate in a particular region. Rapid urban migration into Mumbai has resulted in the spilling over of this population into the suburbs and peripheries. The main benefit of these areas is the af fordable and comfortable living options, which offer good appreciation on price.

“With growing infrastructure and better connectivity, Navi Mumbai will present feasible living options to the migrant population, working in the main city. The 22-km road, which will connect Sewree in the south central Mumbai and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, will drastically cut the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, bettering the prospects of Navi Mumbai and the surrounding areas as residential hubs,“ says Banerjee.

Subhankar Mitra, head strategic consulting (West), JLL India, says that the Sewree Navasheva sea link will make it feasible to stay in Navi Mumbai and travel to south Mumbai in a shorter time-frame. It is estimated that via the Sewree Navasheva sea link, the CBD at Nariman Point, Fort and SBD of Lower Parel, etc, could be reached in a shorter time than from the western or eastern suburbs. “Once the infrastructure and feeder connections are properly developed, locations like Uran, Ulwe and Dronagiri, would see a very perceptible increase in real estate prices,“ says Mitra.

The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Project has been under consideration for the last 30 years to develop the island city the way Manhattan has been developed to reduce traffic congestion and develop the area surrounding Navi Mumbai. The project was conceptualised to provide connectivity between Sewri in the island city and Nhava in the main land (Navi Mumbai) for speedy travel. Urban planning experts in Mumbai maintain that there are mid-to-long-term real estate implications of the project. Had the project taken off by now, it would have given a huge psychological boost to the investors for residential projects in these new localities, which would have catalysed into commercial activity. As of now, the dreams of Mumbai turning into Manhattan have been delayed and everyone in Mumbai has a wish that it is not denied.