Five Infrastructure Projects That Will Improve Connectivity To Navi Mumbai International Airport

Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation), in an interview with the Indian Express shared the update on a number of connectivity projects linked to the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport.

A look at these projects, their importance and current status:

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA)

• The NMIA is an ongoing project, being developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) as an international airport planned to cater to the growing air travel demand of Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

• The project scope includes development of an international airport (in phases) with a capacity to handle minimum 60 million passengers per annum (MPPA) and 1.5 million tonnes cargo per annum.

• NMIAL is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed for implementation of the project on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis with equity participation of Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited and CIDCO in 74:26 ratio.

• The CIDCO has completed the land acquisition and handed over the land to the developer. The environment clearance is also on its way.

• The project has achieved the financial closure, with the public sector lender, State Bank of India (SBI), underwriting the entire debt requirement of Rs 12,770 crore for the project.

• The project was initially slated to be completed by 2021. Now, the deadline is 2024.

• A series of road links such as Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), Thane-Creek Bridge have been planned to improve connectivity to the airport.

• The airport will also have water connectivity, with a jetty being part of the airport. This jetty will be connected to Bhaucha Dhakka (port) in Mumbai.

In the interview, Mukherjee also discussed five infrastructure projects that will improve connectivity to the Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL)

• The MTHL is a 21.8-km six-lane two-carriageway bridge of which 16.11 km is a sea-link that will connect Sewri in South Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai.

• Touted as India’s longest sea bridge, it will provide direct access to the Navi Mumbai International Airport across the eastern seaboard.

• CIDCO has completed the land acquisition and given the entire land free of cost to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) — the nodal agency for constructing the project.

• The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is providing development loan assistance for the Rs 18,000 crore project. 

• Work on the project began in April 2018, and it is expected to be completed by mid-2023.

  MTHL Coastal Road Project

• The CIDCO has planned a 7.021-km-long coastal road from Amra Marg in Raigad district to MTHL Junction, including the Airport Link Road in the district. 

• The coastal road will provide direct connectivity between the MTHL and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. It will also serve the traffic demand arising out of the developments expected from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust.

• Of the total length of the road (7.021 km), 5.8 km is the coastal road and 1.2 km is the elevated Airport Link Road.

•  The project has received clearance from the state government’s forest department. It is awaiting the nod of the Union Environment Ministry for diversion of forest land for the project.

Goregaon-Mulund Link Road

• The 12.2-km GMLR is an elevated road which connects Goregaon in the western suburbs to Mulund in the eastern suburbs, and is the fourth major link connecting the eastern and western suburbs of Mumbai.

• The tenders for the project which is being constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are expected to be finalised soon.

• The project is being implemented in four phases. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2023. When completed, it will ease connectivity from western parts to the upcoming airport.

Thane-Creek Bridge (Vashi Bridge)

• The Thane Creek Bridge 3, or TCB3 as it is known, comprises two separate three-laned bridges, each 1.8 km in length, being built across Thane Creek channel connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

• This is an expansion of the existing two bridges called as TCB1 and TCB2 to provide seamless travel to motorists between the two cities.

• The work on bridge number 3 is jointly being done by MSRTC and CIDCO to ease congestion and improve connectivity to the airport. The work on the bridge is expected to be completed before October 2023.

Metro Rail

• In order to strengthen the public transport system in Navi Mumbai even further, CIDCO is developing four elevated routes under the Navi Mumbai Metro (NMM).

• The CIDCO has asked the Maha Metro to conduct preliminary studies and prepare feasibility report for directly connecting the upcoming airport to the existing line of NMM network.