Mumbai : Atal Setu Bridge Sees Surge in Traffic, Records Rs 13.95 crores in road tax in 1 month   

The Atal Setu bridge, which recently opened to connect South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, has experienced a significant increase in traffic. However, the majority of vehicles that travel across the bridge are cars. In fact, during the first month of its operation, a staggering 98% of the vehicle’s that crossed the bridge were four-wheelers.

The Atal Setu bridge was planned to support the passage of heavy vehicles like buses and trucks. However, officials have observed that very few of these vehicles have used the bridge as yet. This is because their routes have not yet been updated to include the Atal Setu.

 According to reports, the bridge has earned Rs 13.95 crore in road tax. However, a significant amount of Rs 2.13 crore has been collected through fines imposed on vehicles that either lacked a FASTag or did not have enough balance in their FASTag account. This indicates that around 3.85% of the vehicles did not pay the toll.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is taking steps to address this issue by sending challans to violators and imposing fines. They are also working to encourage freight vehicles to use the bridge by updating their maps and routes.