Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS): The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has got the green signal for its proposed connector for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) at Chirle which will be linked with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, officials said in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The new Chirle connector, estimated to cost around Rs 1000 crore, is expected to slash travel time between south Mumbai and Pune by an hour.

MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee announced the new development in a tweet.

The connector is slated to start soon and will comprise two six-lane elevated roads, one connecting Chirle-Gavhan Phata, and other linking Palaspe and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The project is slated for completion in around 30 months and it will prove a boost to the people travelling from Mumbai to Pune via MTHL as they can skirt the busy Sion-Panvel Highway or pass the Vashi Toll Post before getting on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The country’s longest sea-bridge, MTHL was opened in January and it has substantially cut travel time from Mumbai to Panvel, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, Navi Mumbai and the upcoming New International Airport, Pune and Goa highways, coastal Konkan and other key regions.