Atal Setu: Maharashtra Govt's Toll Waiver Policy Impacts Traffic On Mumbai's Longest Sea Bridge

If reports are to be believed, vehicular traffic on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, popularly known as Atal Setu, is affected by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government's policy to waive toll at the five entry points of Mumbai ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections.

According to a data revealed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the number of cars utilising India's longest sea bridge decreased from 7,14,213 in September to 7,07,104 in October and then to 6,67,803 in November. Traffic on the Atal Setu, which carries a INR 250 automobile toll, has decreased from 23,807 per day in September to 22,809 per month in October and then to 22,260 per month in November.

A representative for MMRDA attributed the Diwali holiday for the decrease in traffic in October and November.

Around 5,004,350 vehicles, including buses from Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT), and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation's (MSRTC) Shivneri services, crossed the bridge, which is officially known as Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, between January 13 and August 26.

The Atal Setu, which cost INR 17,843 crore to build, was officially opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12, 2024 and was made accessible to traffic the next day. The largest traffic number ever recorded occurred between January 13 and January 31, this year, totalling 520,652 or 27,403 per day. At the time, a number of people shared pictures and videos of themselves having a joyride over the 21.8-kilometer sea bridge on social media. Every day, 70,000 vehicles can cross the bridge.

Sewri in south Mumbai and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai are connected by the six-lane Atal Setu. The bridge was constructed to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and is connected to the Mumbai-Pune motorway. The two cities are connected by the Mulund-Airoli, Mulund-Thane (Eastern Express Highway), Mulund-Thane (LBS Road), and Mankhurd-Vashi alternative routes, all of which were once tolled.

For the unversed, just over a month before Maharashtra's November 20 election, on October 14, it was decided to eliminate the INR 45 toll for light vehicles at Mumbai's five entry ports.