Reliance Infra Bags Deal For Versova-Bandra Sea Link, India’s ‘Single Biggest’ Urban Infrastructure Project 

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) on Tuesday inked a Rs 6,993-crore engineering, procurement and construction agreement with Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure for constructing the Versova-Bandra sea link, The Hindu Business Line has reported.

Reliance Infrastructure will build the sea link with Italy’s Astaldi, which is an established player in constructing bridges on open seas. The consortium, reports have said, has to commission the project in five years.

Here’s a lowdown:

1) Connecting the neighbourhoods of Versova and Bandra, the sea link project, said to be India’s single biggest urban infrastructure project, will be situated about 900-1,800 metres from the coast of the city of Mumbai.

2) The total length of the sea link will be 17.17 km, out of which the bridge length will be 9.6 km. The length of Versova-Bandra sea link leg is three times more than that of the existing Bandra-Worli sea link, which is 5.6 km.

3) The eight-lane sea link will have the capacity to carry two lakh cars daily.

4) The new sea link is expected to drastically reduce the time required to traverse the distance at peak hours from the current level of 90 minutes. The Bandra-Worli sea link, which was opened for operations in 2010, slashed the travel time from around 40 minutes to barely 10 minutes.

5) A commuter travelling from western suburb to South Mumbai will also be able to seamlessly connect to the existing Bandra-Worli sea link and vice versa.

6) The project construction will involve complex work at sea and stretch for a length of approximately 17.7 kilometres.

7) The main bridge will also include the construction of a cable-stayed plank and of three other stretches of variable section, with a main span of 100 metres, to guarantee navigation in the area.

8) Astaldi is expected to leverage the experience and expertise it acquired during the construction of the Western High-Speed Diameter in Saint Petersburg.

Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of MSRDC Radhyesham Mopalwar has told media persons that the project has received all major clearances, including those related to environmental safety. He also added that a large part of the bridge over land will be constructed on the existing stormwater channels, which will ensure that no fresh requirements for land acquisition arise.