India opens the country's longest sea bridge
India's longest bridge, most of which spans the Arabian Sea, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The total length of the bridge, which will connect Mumbai and its satellite city Navi Mumbai, is 21.8 kilometres. However, 16.5 kilometres of it passes over the Arabian Sea, and 5.5 kilometres - on land.
The bridge was named in honour of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It cost more than 17,840 rupees ($2 million) to build. For cars, the one-way toll is set at 250 rupees ($3), but for drivers who will frequently travel across the bridge, a different rate will apply," The Daily Star writes.
The bridge, whose foundation stone was laid by Modi in 2016 as part of India's infrastructure development programme, will provide faster connections to Mumbai International Airport and Navi (New) Mumbai International Airport, as well as reduce travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. The bridge will reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 20 minutes, which previously took two hours.