MMRDA promises noise barriers on Sewri and Nhava Seva ends

Sewri and Nhava Seva residents who have been cribbing about the construction of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) near their homes can take comfort in this. The MMRDA has decided to install noise barriers on 2.5 km-long stretches each on the Sewri and Nhava Seva ends of the stretch, so that locals don't suffer from the din from passing vehicles.

Costly affair: The cost of the project increased from an estimated Rs 8,800 crore in 2010 to Rs 9,630 crore recently. This sharp rise was attributed to the expenditure involved in connecting the arms on the Sewri side of the MTHL

Earlier, MMRDA had decided on installing view cutters on a 4-km stretch of the MTHL near the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) to secure the vital security installation from prying eyes.

Confirming the development, MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawathkar said, "There are many people living on both the Sewri and the Nhava Seva sides of MTHL, and so we have plans of installing noise barriers on two stretches of the bridge, each 2.5 km in length, so that residents don't suffer from noise pollution."

In the past, there have been instances of locals living near flyovers requesting MMRDA officials for the installation of noise barriers to save themselves from incessant noise pollution from the continuous traffic movement nearby.

Breaker
The MTHL, once constructed, will connect Sewri to Nhava Seva in Navi Mumbai. The link will be 22-km long with a 16.5 km long bridge across Mumbai harbour, and 5.5 km-long viaduct approaches on the Sewri and Nhava Seva sides. The project is being touted as the country's longest sea bridge.

The cost of the project increased from an estimated Rs 8,800 crore in 2010 to Rs 9,630 crore recently. This sharp rise was attributed to the expenditure involved in connecting the arms on the Sewri side of the MTHL.u00a0