Mumbai: BMC Floats Rs 1,800-crore Tender for Cable-Stayed Bridge Connecting Madh Island To Versova

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday (3 March) invited a tender worth Rs 1,800 crore for constructing a cable-stayed bridge that will connect Madh Island with Versova in the western suburbs.

The proposed cable-stayed bridge will pass above Versova Creek, an inlet of the Arabian Sea. The flyover, 1.5 km in length and 27.5 metres wide, will have four lanes on the bridge, two on each side.

Even though both Versova and Madh are located in the western suburbs, there is no direct road connecting the two places and people use the ferry service for their daily commute. The ferry service, however, remains suspended for four months during monsoon.

Besides this, the only available mode of commute is a 22-km route between Madh Island and Versova through the Western Express Highway (WEH) or SV road which usually takes 45-60 minutes during peak rush hour.

It's worth noting that the project has been in the planning stages for quite some time. It was officially proposed in 2015, and the final blueprint was completed by BMC in 2020.

However, the proposed alignment passed through dense mangrove covers and coastal regulatory zones necessitating environmental clearances. In March, 2022, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) asked BMC to devise an alternative alignment to minimize mangrove damage.

The project also encountered opposition from the Versova-Madh fishing community due to concerns about parking their boats.

According to the tender document, the project is estimated to cost Rs 1,800 crore, over four times its original 2015 cost. BMC has set a 36-month deadline for project completion. Additionally, temporary culverts will be established during construction to minimize impact on the mangroves.