Mumbai: MMRDA To Build 43-Km-Long Versova-Virar Sea Link Project

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will carry out the 43-kilometre-long Versova-Virar sea link project along the west coast of Mumbai.

On Thursday (20 October), at the MMRDA's 153rd authority meeting in Mumbai, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed MMRDA officials to build the sea link.

Earlier, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), was the nodal agency for the construction this sea link project.

According to MMRDA Commissioner S V R Srinivas, "any work that the MSRDC started will now be handled by the MMRDA."

The state infrastructure agency, MSRDC, built the renowned sea link between Bandra and Worli.

The sea link is proposed to be built with connectors at Charkop, Uttan, Vasai, and Virar, according to the pre-feasibility study.

The 4+4 lane main bridge will connect Versova to Virar via four 3+3 lane connectors.

With the coastal road, the Bandra-Worli sea link, the Bandra-Versova sea link, and the Virar extension, the project promises to reduce the current three-hour drive from Nariman Point in south Mumbai to Virar to one hour.

In July, the Union Transport Ministry planned to take over the Versova-Vasai-Virar coastal link project and build it as part of the ongoing Rs one lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai expressway project. 

Union Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, urged the state government to waive GST on steel and cement royalties, as well as clear some land parcels for construction activities, in order to expedite the completion of this critical project. 

He emphasised the necessity of creating seamless connectivity between Mumbai and Delhi via a network of coastal roads and sea links that extends as far as Vasai-Virar and beyond.

The link’s "pure construction" cost is pegged at Rs 21,000 crore, reports Economic Times.

The Versova-Virar Sea Link would relieve congestion on the Western Express Highway as well as internal arterial highways like S V Road and Link Road.

MSRDC, had planned to extend the upcoming Bandra-Versova sea link until Virar, via Charkop and Vasai, from a kilometre into the sea, instead of building it along the coast, to avoid complications like severe damage to the coastal environment and human habitation during or after its construction.

The decision to pursue a sea link was made in response to possibilities presented by Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) in its pre-feasibility assessment, which the government sought through MSRDC in 2019. 

The JICA is anticipated to provide the funding (Japan International Cooperation Agency).