It can be challenging for Brits to grasp the scale of certain huge infrastructure projects around the world.
Our most significant works include the London Shard, the Bromford Viaduct and our extensive motorway network, but many global structures dwarf these.
One of these structures, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, was inaugurated in India earlier this year after almost six years of construction.
This 21.8 km long, six-lane highway bridge, officially named Atal Bihari Vajpayee SewriNhava Sheva Atal Setu, is an engineering marvel.
The route, popularly known as Atal Setu, connects the city of Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, where about 22 million people live.
The bridge, which cost a whopping Rs 17,843 crore (around £1.6 billion), can accommodate 70,000 vehicles every day.
Construction of the bridge began in April 2018 and it was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12, 2024.
It is the longest sea bridge in India and the 12th longest sea bridge in the world. The longest is the 164-kilometer-long Danyang-Kunshan Bridge in China.
Although there are six bridges connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai across the Thane Creek, they were considered too narrow and outdated to handle the traffic.
Since the 1990s, the area has been plagued by increasing traffic, congestion and accidents. The construction of the Atal Setu was commissioned in the hope of alleviating these problems.
The aim of the bridge was to reduce commuter travel time from one and a half hours to just around 20 minutes.
The state-of-the-art building also features a comprehensive surveillance system (CSS) consisting of a network of high-resolution CCTV cameras strategically placed along the entire route.
Since the opening, however, Indian news agencies have reported an increase in the number of traffic violations by motorists.
The Economic Times revealed that “just hours after” the grand unveiling of the Atal Setu, “numerous” people blatantly ignored traffic rules.
It said: “Social media platforms have been flooded with alarming photos and videos showing people flouting regulations by stopping their vehicles on a section of the bridge where there is a 100 km/h speed limit.”
In the first 12 hours of operation, 9,000 cars reportedly crossed the bridge.
Despite these problems, many locals welcomed the construction of the bridge.
Sharing pictures of the newly built bridge, one user commented, “I can’t believe this is our India! Well done India, keep growing.”
Another added: “One of the biggest changes we Indians are witnessing is the timely completion of major infrastructure projects. People may not even realise how big this change is.”
