Atal Setu ramp fix on: MMRDA
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said on Saturday that the repair work on the approach ramp to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), also known as Atal Setu, was in full swing and would be completed by night.
The work started on Friday night after an inspection by the MMRDA’s operation and maintenance teams, officials said.
Built at a cost of Rs17,840 crore, the six-lane bridge is 21.8 kilometres long with a 16.5km sea link connecting south Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
In the past couple of days, there were reports that the Atal Setu had developed cracks, following which Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole went to the spot for an inspection on Friday.
The MMRDA reiterated that “the cracks on the approach road from Ulwe (Navi Mumbai side) are minor and located along the edge of the road”.
It added that the re-patch work on the cracks – detected at three locations – had been taken up without disrupting the MTHL traffic.
The MMRDA also said that contrary to the rumours, the cracks were not on the MTHL bridge, but on the approach ramp towards Mumbai on the Navi Mumbai end.
“The cracks on Ramp 5 are minor longitudinal cracks in the asphalt pavement and do not indicate any structural defects,” the MMRDA said.
The repair work was being done by the Package 4 contractor, Strabag Infrastructure & Safety Solutions GmbH and
Strabag AG.
On Friday evening, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a post on X: “There is no crack on Atal Setu, nor is there any danger to Atal Setu. This is a picture of the approach road. But one thing is clear – Congress has made a long-term plan to create a ‘rift’ with the help of lies... Only the people of the country will defeat this ‘daraar’ plan and the corrupt behaviour of the Congress.”
After visiting the bridge on Friday, Patole claimed that barely six months after the Atal Setu was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi [on January 12], cracks had appeared on it and a halfkilometre stretch of the road on the Navi Mumbai side had sunk by around one foot.
He pointed out that the government spent Rs18,000 crore for the MTHL with loans, and “this is not development but sheer corruption, and the state government is filling its own pockets while playing with the lives of the people”.
Cracks on Atal Setu approach