The Maharashtra government’s ambitious Trans Harbour Link project – a bridge spanning the Mumbai harbour, connecting the island city to the mainland – is set to take shape soon. The Rs 17,750-crore project, backed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will consist of a 16km bridge and 6km of access roads.

Due to lack of bids on three occasions, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority divided the bridge into two packages for easier execution.

The packages were won by two consortia – one led by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Japan’s IHI Corporation, and the other led by Tata Projects and South Korean Daewoo Engineering and Construction. Both bids are 15 per cent higher than the initial estimates, indicating a cost escalation. The third package is awaiting clearance from the JICA; the bids are to be opened today (15 September).

The JICA is funding 85 per cent of the project, which was originally proposed when Navi Mumbai was developed as a satellite node to Mumbai in the 1970s. After multiple failed attempts, it is now being monitored directly by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his ‘War Room’, which monitors major infrastructure projects across the state.

Once built, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link will provide faster connectivity from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai as well as the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. It will also connect the state capital to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.