Maharashtra: MMRDA continues repair work on approach road connecting Atal Setu

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 22 (ANI): The repair work by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is underway on the approach road connecting Atal Setu in Maharashtra’s Mumbai.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole inspected the cracks spotted on the Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), and alleged that these cracks are the result of corruption.

Project Head Kailash Gantra said that the repair work will be completed by this evening.

“Sometimes people exaggerate things. The cracks are developed on the approach road and they are minor. There are no traffic disturbances due to these cracks…barricates have been placed where repair work is being done for the safety of public and workers,” he said.

“The work to attend the cracks is underway. By evening, both ways will be opened to the public,” Gantra added.

He further informed that cracks have been developed on the extended road of ramps 3 and 5, which is unapproachable.

“If we talk about ramps, in Shivneri’s end, there are a total of 8 ramps, of which 6 are functional. When you come to Shivaji Nagar, there are another 6 ramps. The connection to these ramps was coastal roads. The coastal road cannot take off so it was decided at the last time that since the purpose of this was to make the traffic of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai functional we extended a temporary road for ramps 3 and 5. These cracks are developed on this road which is an unapproach road,” Gantra said.

MMRDA on Friday clarified that minor cracks were found on the approach road connecting Atal Setu in Ulwe, which is not a part of the bridge but is a service road connecting the bridge.

MMRDA stated that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and do not pose any threat to the structure of the bridge.

MMRDA also labelled the news as ‘rumours’ and urged the citizens not to believe them.

According to MMRDA, these minor cracks were already noticed at three places on Ramp No. 5, from Ulwe towards Mumbai, on Thursday during an inspection by the Operation and Maintenance Team of the Project and require immediate repair. Strabag, the contractor for Package 4 of the Atal Setu project, has started the repair work in the said area and the work will be completed within 24 hours without any disruption to the traffic on the bridge.

The official statement reads, “It has been noticed that there is no crack in the main part of the Atal Setu Bridge but rumours are being spread in various media about it. Please don’t believe the rumours. Minor cracks have been found on the approach road connecting Atal Setu. The said footpath is not a part of the main bridge but is a service road connecting the bridge. It is also very important to note that the cracks are not due to structural defects in the project and do not pose any threat to the structure of the bridge.”

“During the inspection on 20th June 2024 by the Operation and Maintenance Team of the project, minor cracks were noticed at three places on Ramp No. 5 asphalt from Ulwe towards Mumbai which require immediate repair. M/s Strabag, the contractor of Package 4 of the Atal Setu project, has started the repair work in the said area and the work will be completed within 24 hours without any disruption to the traffic on the bridge.”

In a post on X, MMRDA wrote, “There have been rumours circulating about cracks on the MTHL bridge. We want to clarify that these cracks are not on the bridge itself but on the approach road connecting MTHL from Ulwe towards Mumbai.”

Meanwhile, after the inspection, Nana Patole addressed the media persons and said, “This road was inaugurated by PM Modi recently. Around half a kilometre of road has sustained one-foot-deep cracks in it, which indicates the level of corruption in this government. They are not even worried about the public.”

Nana Patole asserted, “The cracks in this bridge are a result of corruption by the Eknath Shinde government. We will take this matter to Vidhan Sabha strongly.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewari-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, India’s longest bridge, in Maharashtra on January 12, 2024.

Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were also present on the occasion.

Atal Setu is also the longest sea bridge in the country.

Atal Setu provides faster connectivity to Mumbai International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduces travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India.

The foundation stone of the bridge was also laid by the Prime Minister in December 2016.

Atal Setu has been constructed at a total cost of more than Rs 17,840 crore.

It is a 21.8-kilometer-long, 6-lane bridge with about 16.5 km of length over sea and about 5.5 km of length on land.