Mumbai, Mar 25 (Zee News): The dream project, 22.5-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), that will connect the city's eastern suburbs with the mainland across the harbour, via a 16.5 km sea bridge and a viaduct, is expected to become a reality by 2021.

To combat the city's geographical constraints and tackle the city's huge traffic, the much-awaited MTHL is envisaged as a cable-stayed eight-lane bridge, with the possibility of a railway line being added, to connect Mumbai island with the mainland.

The MTHL has been planned to facilitate decongestion of the island city by improving connectivity between Island city and main land (Navi Mumbai).

The Rs 17,500 crore MTHL would have interchanges at Sewri in Mumbai and Chirle in Navi Mumbai, helping boost development on the mainland in Thane and Raigad.

It will ensure high speed connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and offer a quick link to Pune, Konkan and Goa, entailing huge savings in fuel and time.

When completed, MTHL would be the longest sea bridge in India. Two other bridges of this type are 36-km long Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China and the 26-km long King Fahd Causeway in Saudi Arabia.

With the view to connect the mainland to Mumbai through rail based mass transport MMRDA has planned a metro corridor from Prabhadevi to Sewri and further to the Mainland through Navi Mumbai to a suitable Location on the Panvel-Pen section having interchange stations and facilities with the existing and proposed rail system.

Following are the advantages of the proposed MTHL-Metro Link.

MTHL Metro Corridor will induce and accelerate the development on the main land.

MTHL Metro will encourage mass transport and cater to the future travel demand of main land area.

MTHL Metro will facilitate decongestion on other passenger time transport systems and fuel consumption saving.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2016 laid the foundation stone of the key infrastructure project.