Bandra–Worli Sea Link

The Bandra Worli Sea Link will be a 8-lane, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct approaches, which will link Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, and is the first phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system. The Rs.1306 crore project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is being executed by Hindustan Construction Company and is likely to be completed by December 2008. The Sea Link will enable speedy travel between Bandra and Worli.

Overview

File:BandraWorliSeaLink76.gif

Under construction, March 2008

At present, Mahim Causeway is the only link connecting western suburbs to island city of Mumbai. The existing north–southwestern corridor is highly congested and during the peak hours results in a bottleneck at Mahim Causeway. The link will act as an alternate route between the western suburbs of Mumbai and central Mumbai, in addition to the existing Mahim Causeway. Access will be controlled on the Worli end by toll plazas on the Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road, and on the Bandra end by toll plazas at Love Grove Junction.

Vehicular traffic admeasuring about 120,000 PCU travels on the Mahim causeway everyday and during peak hours and it takes about forty minutes to travel from Mahim causeway to Worli, a distance of about 8 km.

Construction of the project link will provide an additional fast moving outlet from the island city to the western suburbs abd thereby provide much needed relief to the congested Mahim Causeway. This link will also form a part of the west island freeway.

MSRDC, as a part of this project has appointed M/s Dar Consultants (UK) Ltd. & M/s Dar Consultants (India) Pvt. Ltd. to design, proof check, and supervise the various components of the project.

Already more than three decades late in its timing, construction work is currently underway and is visible from parts of Mumbai.

Project location

The project starts from the Interchange at Mahim (i.e. intersection of Western Express Highway and Swami Vivekanand road at Bandra) and connects to Worli at Worli end with overall length of 5.6 km for the entire project.

A cloverleaf interchange at Mahim intersection and a flyover at the Lovegrove intersection have been proposed as part of this project to enhance the faster and safe traffic dispersal.

Features

An 8-lane bridge with 2 lanes dedicated for buses.
Unique bridge design for the Link Bridge to emerge as a land mark structure in the city.
Single tower supported 500 metre long cable-stayed bridge at Bandra Channel and twin tower supported 350 m cable-stayed bridge at Worli Channel for each carriageway.
Modern toll plaza of 16 lanes with automated toll collection system.
An intelligent bridge with state-of-art systems for traffic monitoring, surveillance, information and guidance, instrumentation, emergency support, etc.
Development of promenade and landscaping to enhance the environment.

Project Benefits / Other Features

Estimated savings in Vehicle Operating Costs (VOC): Rs. 100 Crores per annum.
Considerable savings in travel time (20 to 30 minutes) due to increased speed and reduced delays (23 signals avoided)
Stress free driving.
Reduced accidents.
Reduction in traffic on existing roads because of traffic diversion to the Sea Link. *
Reduction in Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide Levels in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
Reduced noise pollution in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
No adverse effect on fisheries, marine life and livelihood of fisherman.
Landscaping along the approaches and waterfront promenade will enhance the environment and add green spots to the city.
Mumbai gets a new landmark.

External links

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