Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Infobox_Bridge
bridge_name= Bandra-Worli Sea Link


caption= Under construction, May 2008
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carries= 8 lanes of traffic with 2 lanes dedicated for buses.
crosses= Mahim Creek
locale= Mumbai
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design= Cable-stayed
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length= convert|600|m|ft|0
width=
height=
clearance=
below=
traffic=
open= Under Construction
closed=
toll=
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The Bandra Worli Sea Link will be an 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

Presently, the Mahim Causeway is the only link connecting the 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 sea link will act as an alternate route between the western suburbs of Mumbai and central Mumbai, in addition to the existing Mahim Causeway. This link will also form a part of the west island freeway.

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

MSRDC has awarded the contract of constructing the Bandra Worli Sea-Link – Package - IV to the HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) and its foreign partner, the China Harbour Engineering Corporation, which has successfully completed similar projects. HCC has the responsibility of maintaining the bridge during the damage liability period of five years.

The original project design was modified to include two separate towers for the main cable stay bridge. In addition to this, the bridge was realigned around 150 meters into the sea and an additional cable stay bridge was introduced at the Worli side to increase the height of the bridge to accommodate the demands of local fishermen of Worli Koliwada to ease the vessel movement under the bridge closer to their habitat. Due to the change in the scope of work, the project was delayed in the initial stages, which resulted in increased project cost. Presently the work is in full swing and the Bandra Worli Sea-Link is expected to be complete by April 2008.

The Bandra Cable Stay Bridge, part of the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) was connected to the approach spans on May 27, 2008. This is a significant milestone towards completion of the Sea Link being built by HCC prior to the onset of Mumbai’s monsoon this season.

The Bandra Cable Stay section of the BWSL spans 600 m in length and towers to a height of 126 m (equivalent to a 43 storied building). The Cable Stay system comprises 2,250 km of high strength galvanized steel wires which support the Cable Stay Bridge weighing 20,000 ton. An engineering marvel and the first-ever open Sea Bridge of its kind, the Bandra Worli Sea Link is one of the most complex and advanced construction projects in India.

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 landmark 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-the-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

* [http://www.msrdc.org/projects/bandra_worli.aspx Bandra-Worli Sealink Project]
* [http://www.bandraworlisealink.com/index.html Bandra-Worli Sea Link Project official website]
* [http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=197468 Forum to read about and discuss Bandra-Worli Sea Link]
* [http://blogs.mybandra.com/category/bandra-worli-sea-link/ Bandra-Worli Sealink Blog Updates]