Smt. Sonia Gandhi, UPA Chairperson and Member of Parliament, will inaugurate the Bandra-Worli Sea Link on June 30, 2009. This was announced today by the Minister for PWD (Public Undertaking), Dr. (Smt.) Vimaltai Mundada, at a press conference jointly organised by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and HCC (Hindustan Construction Company). India?s first bridge to be constructed across the open sea, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is also the country?s longest cable-stayed bridge.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is yet another transport infrastructure offering from MSRDC to the city of Mumbai. Designed by M/S Dar Consultants, UK, and built by the leading engineering and construction company, HCC, the Sea Link will connect the Mahim intersection of the Western Express Highway and Swami Vivekananda Marg at the Bandra end to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road at the Worli end. Motorists will now benefit from enhanced route options and easing of traffic congestion along the western corridor, especially at the Mahim, Dadar and Worli intersections.
Announcing the inauguration date, Minister Dr. (Smt.) Vimaltai Mundada said, ?The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is the new landmark of Mumbai, a testimony to Government of Maharashtra?s determination to build state-of-the-art infrastructure for Mumbai. I am proud to be associated with the development of this iconic structure.?
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Satish Gavai, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, MSRDC, said, ?The inauguration of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a golden moment in the history of Mumbai. For all Mumbaikars, it is celebration time as Mumbai takes a dramatic step in improving the city?s infrastructure. MSRDC is dedicated to create modern infrastructure to the city as we aim to make Mumbai the city of the future. We congratulate HCC and other project partners and commend each person involved in the project for bringing it to a successful conclusion.?
Mr. Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman & Managing Director, HCC, said, ?Construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has been one of the most challenging infrastructure projects undertaken in recent times in India. We took on this project with the quest to set new benchmarks in precision engineering and prove India?s infrastructure development capabilities. Reflecting on the hard work of our engineers and over 3000 workers who have raised this Sea Link in rough open sea conditions, I am proud to say we have truly built a monument to human skills, enterprise and determination.?
The Bandra Worli Sea Link is a pre-cast segmental box girder continuous bridge with twin carriage-ways of four lanes each. Immediately, one carriage-way will be opened to traffic with two-lane traffic in both directions. The highlight of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link are the two aesthetically designed cable-stayed bridges ? viz., the Bandra and Worli Cable-Stayed Bridges of 500 and 150 metre spans, respectively ? with the highest towers soaring to a height of 126 metres, equivalent to the height of a 43-storied building.
Over 3,000 people worked towards the creation of this mammoth landmark. The team endured several challenges to put together the 2,353 pre-cast segments connected together in precise coordination with an accuracy of ?5 mm while fighting the rough sea conditions. Construction of the cable-stay bridge was another daunting task, wherein the gradual slant of the 126 metre high towers were built with an accuracy of ?1 mm for every three metres.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is equipped with state-of-the-art systems for traffic management and monitoring, emergency support and an automated toll system. A modern toll plaza with 16 lanes (with eight lanes operating initially) has been installed at the Bandra end. The toll plaza is designed as much to act as a control centre for traffic surveillance, as for monitoring the control systems for an intelligent bridge, which includes electronic tolling, counting and classifying variable traffic message signs as well as a remote weather information station. It also houses emergency telephones.
