Maha CM Shinde, DyCM Fadnavis take test drive on under-construction Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday inspected the under-construction Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project, a 22-km long bridge between the metropolis and and its satellite city Navi Mumbai, by taking a test drive on it.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has completed the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the project, also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, a six-lane access-controlled expressway grade road bridge. The bridge begins in Sewri in south Mumbai and terminates at Chirle near Nhava Sheva.

A small function was held on the deck of the bridge, following which Shinde and Fadnavis went for a test drive towards Navi Mumbai in Shinde's private high-end car. Fadnavis was driving the car in which MMRDA chief SVR Srinivas travelled with them. The test drive was conducted on a stretch of around 15 km till the Navi Mumbai end and back. It lasted for around 30 minutes.

Speaking to reporters after the test drive, CM Shinde said the project will be a "game changer" and it will further be connected to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Goa National Highway.

In December last year, Shinde and Fadnavis had gone for a similar test drive of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg between Nagpur and Shirdi a few days before it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.