Atal Setu: All you need to know about India's longest bridge

Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of over Rs 17,840 crore and is about 21.8 km long. The 6-lane bridge stretches for 16.5 km over the sea and about goes on for 5.5 km over land.

Atal Setu, India's longest bridge and a major infrastructure project for Mumbai, is set for inauguration today. It also holds the distinction of being the longest sea bridge in the country.

After PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in December 2016, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), renamed 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri - Nhava Sheva Atal Setu,' took seven years to complete.

The PM, after inauguration, will use it to reach Panvel where he is scheduled to address a rally today.

Here are some facts you need to know

* Atal Setu aims to improve connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, namely Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad.

The bridge reduces travel time between Sewri and Nhava Sheva - which used to take around two hours - to just 20 minutes.

It also shortens the route from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and the rest of South India.

It will provide a faster route from the Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and will also improve connectivity between the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

* The bridge is about 21.8 km long. The 6-lane bridge stretches for 16.5 km over the sea and about goes on for 5.5 km over land, making it the longest sea bridge, and the longest overall in India.

* The Maharashtra government will charge Rs 250 toll per car for a one-way trip, and has set a maximum speed limit of 100 kmph. The Mumbai police also said that autorickshaws, tractors, and motorbikes will not be allowed on the bridge.

* The metropolitan commissioner of MMRDA, Sanjay Mukherjee said that the bridge was constructed using 1,70,000 tonnes of reinforced steel - enough to build 17 Eiffel Towers.

The structural steel used is four times that of what was used while constructing the Howrah Bridge.

The concrete used in the construction of this major sea link is also six times that of what went into making the Statue of Liberty.

* Mukherjee also noted that the bridge is equipped with the latest technology and several new-age features, like orthotropic steel decks that help in giving it huge spans, river circulation rings to minimise sound and vibrations to safeguard marine life, and the lights used in this bridge also won't impede or disturb the aquatic environment around it.

* The project was executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on an Engineering Procurement Contract (EPC) basis with engineers and experts from across the globe.

Reportedly, most of the labourers were hired from Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra. According to the MMRDA report, seven labourers were killed in six accidents during the project.

* Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of over Rs 17,840 crore, as per MMRDA. The Japan International Cooperation Agency also sanctioned a loan for the project of approximately 30,755 million yen.

As of today's rates that translates to around Rs 1,757 crore.

* The bridge lies close to ONGC, JNPT and BARC which made the construction around these segments more complex. Engineers carefully built it while keeping in mind not to damage any underwater pipelines or communication cables.

Today during his visit to Mumbai, PM Modi will also be undertaking the Bhoomipujan (groundbreaking ceremony) of projects like the Orange Gate-Marine Drive underground tunnel.

He will also flag off the second phase of the Seawoods-Belapur-Uran train service and inaugurate the Digha railway station. Prior to his Mumbai engagements, the PM in Nashik inaugurated the 27th National Youth Festival.