The first pier of the ambitious Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) was built at Sewri on Saturday. The project, which is being executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), will reduce the time taken to travel between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 25 minutes.

The 21.8-km-long MTHL will be a six-lane tolled road and include a 16.5-km bridge across the creek. An MMRDA spokesperson said that 114 piles have been completed along with three pile caps. The MTHL will have an interchange at Sewri, and and two in Navi Mumbai at Chirle near Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

The project has been divided into three packages. Package 1 and 3 will be executed by a consortium of L&T and IHI, Japan, and involves construction from land to the sea.

Package 2 involves the portion in the middle of the creek and will be constructed by a consortium of Daewoo and Tata Projects.

Of the total project, 80%, which amounts to around ₹14,000 crore, is being financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency.