Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has been selected as the lowest bidder for the construction of the third and final package of the 22 km long, Rs 17,750 crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project. According to UPS Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), L&T’s bid was found to be 22.45% lower than the cost estimated by MMRDA, which is the nodal agency for the project. A joint venture (JV) between L&T and Japan’s IHI Corporation was previously announced as the lowest bidder for the first package of the project when their bid was opened on September 14th. On the same day, Tata Projects and Daewoo Engineering & Construction’s JV was selected as the lowest bidder for the second package.
The construction of the sea bridge has been divided into three packages, consisting of a 10.38 km stretch of bridge across Mumbai Bay and the Sewri interchange, a second 7.807 km stretch of bridge across Mumbai Bay and the Shivaji Nagar interchange, and a 3.613 km viaduct, including interchanges at state highways 52 and 54 and at National Highway 4B near Chirle village in Navi Mumbai.
Many Chinese companies participated in the global tender for the project, however, all were disqualified from bidding by India’s Home Ministry due to security concerns. Spanish engineering and construction majors Obrascon Huarte Lain and Constructora De Proyectos Viales de Mexico also submitted bids. Upon completion, the MTHL project, which will be the longest sea bridge in India, will provide direct access to the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport from the Mumbai mainland and serve as a convenient gateway to the Mumbai-Pune expressway.
It is expected to take at least five to six years for the project to be completed and become operational. Commuters will have to pay a toll for using the bridge, as the MMRDA plans to repay a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with the revenue generated from tolls. The MMRDA has previously fixed a one-time compensation of Rs 5.68 lakh for the project affected fishing community.