Sea link: Mumbai marvel set to open on June 16

Mumbai's much-awaited Bandra Worli Sea Link built over the Mahim Creek of Arabian Sea is likely to open for the public on June 16.

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 ever to have been undertaken in India.

The eight-lane-wide sea link will connect the suburb of Bandra to Worli in central Mumbai and is expected to considerably reduce the time taken by motorists to travel to south Mumbai.

The Rs 1,634-crore (Rs 16.34 billion) project of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has been executed by the private engineering and construction major, Hindustan Construction Company.

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link project is one of the most highly recommended links by transport studies conducted for the Mumbai metropolitan region over the last 40 years.

The 5.6-km drive from Bandra to Worli over the sea link may be over in 6-7 minutes, but there is a small glitch there. Once motorists hit Worli, experts say, they are likely to get into a major traffic snarl. Authorities are trying to figure out a way to ease the possible traffic congestion at the Worli end.

The sea link promises to be a landmark for Mumbai city, the commercial nerve centre of India, and has been illuminated by Bajaj Electricals Limited.

The main feature of the sea link project is the use of Bajaj-Kemrock glass fibre reinforced polymer street lighting poles. The need to use GRP poles has been necessitated by the highly corrosive saline atmosphere that the sea link will be perennially subjected to. The mechanical strength of these poles is equal to or better than conventional steel poles.

The most visible portion of the bridge, i.e. the cable stayed portions, have been illuminated using extremely narrow beam metal halide flood lights.

The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking that runs the public bus service in Mumbai is planning to run open-deck buses on the sea link once it is opened to public. The BEST has on mind the fact that people's enthusiasm to see the modern structure is at a peak.

Meanwhile, the passage over the sea link will not be free. The authorities will charge a one-way toll of Rs 50 for every car or light motor vehicle, Rs 75 for mini-buses, and Rs 100 for heavy motor vehicles like buses and trucks. From June 2010, there will be a 5 per cent increase in toll charges.

For regular travellers, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation plans a monthly payment of Rs 2,500 that will allow them multiple entry. Motorists can also buy a swipe card at an initial cost of Rs 300 and also pay a monthly toll. Or, for Rs 800, motorists can buy an electronic on-board unit and pay the monthly Rs 2,500.

The Bandra Cable Stay section of the Bandra Worli Sea Link is 600 mts in length and towers to a height of 126 mts.

The length of steel used for the cable stayed bridge of the sea-link is estimated to be close to 40,000 km, while the pylons through which they are passed are approximately 180 mts, the height of a six-storey building.

The cable stay system is made up of high strength galvanized steel wires which support the cable stay bridge weighing 20,000 tonne.

The 500-metre-cable stayed portion, where a part of the sea link is held up by steel cables, was completed in four months, officials from HCC, the construction company that has built the sea link.