Mumbai’s second cable-stayed bridge to delay metro

For the first time since it started work on the first phase of metro in city, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has admitted that it won’t be able to meet the December 2010 deadline for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar route.

According to MMRDA, the cable-stayed bridge on the Western Express Highway, which is currently under construction, will
be completed only by February 2011.

The authority announced on Monday that the first phase of metro will give the city its second cable-stayed bridge, the first being part of the Bandra-Worli sea link. However, this 38-metre high and 175-metre long bridge along with the railway over bridge (RoB) to be constructed at Andheri are the major causes for delay of the metro project.

“A cable-stayed bridge is aesthetically pleasing and improves the skyline. They are built with one or more columns with cables supporting the bridge deck. Such bridges allow doing away with the construction of piers on the ground where there are obstacles or lack of space. The construction on the cable-stayed bridge is in progress, and it is expected to be completed by February next year,” said MMRDA metropolitan commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad.

The first phase of metro is being constructed by a consortium led by Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra) through a special project vehicle (SPV) — Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) —- floated for it. Earlier, Lalit Jalan, chief executive officer, R-Infra, had said the RoB work was being delayed due to the railway authorities not clearing the designs. But, the railways in their reply had complained that it was R-Infra who had not submitted the detailed designs.