IANS reported that INR 1,600 crore, 5.6 kilometer long Bandra to Worli Sea Link, India’s first open 8-lane, cable-supported sea bridge that will reduce traffic congestion in this Mumbai will be inaugurated by Congress chief Ms Sonia Gandhi today.
The BWSL inauguration will be held at the northern end of the sea bridge which joins Worli in south Mumbai with Bandra in north Mumbai.
A galaxy of leaders, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Mr Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Mr Chhagan Bhujbal, central ministers Mr Sharad Pawar, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, Mr Praful Patel, state ministers, legislators and parliamentarians shall attend the inaugural.
In construction for over 10 years, the new link between the southern island city and the northwest suburbs will be an alternative to the existing Mahim Causeway. Currently, a daily traffic volume of over 1.4 million vehicles causes massive traffic snarls, especially during the morning and evening peak hours.
Executed by Hindustan Construction Company over a period of more than 10 years, the MSRDC’s project suffered a long delay of five years owing to various hiccups. The company will also maintain the bridge for the next five years. Steel Authority of India Ltd has provided almost two-thirds of the steel used in building the link.
The chief attraction of the magnificent structure would be the two cable-stayed bridges, one 500 meters long (northern side) and another 350 meters long (southern side), for the passage of fishing boats. The bridge rests on two towers, each 126 meters tall or equivalent to a 43 storeyed building.
MSRDC has plans to provide a viewers’ gallery at the top of the towers which would offer a bird’s eye glimpse of the entire city.
