From a stuck project to engineering wonder: Story of Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Eyebrows were raised when the public relations agency hired by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation's (MSRDC) contractor said the eight-lane Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) is so safe that it can bear the burden of 55,000 elephants at a time. Its critics also ridiculed MSRDC's claim that the sea link was the first infrastructure project in Mumbai to use seismic arresters which will enable it to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 7.0 on the Richter scale.

Ten years after the sea link was opened to the public on June 20, 2009, it has not only weathered climatic changes but has also become a new emblem of the city. It has been developed as an 'intelligent bridge' with a state-of-the-art system of monitoring, surveillance, information signage, and emergency support.

The 8 km journey to cross the Bandra Channel using the Mahim causeway linking Mahim to Mumbai was taking over an hour during the rush hour. But the sea link has shortened the journey to 4.7 km, offered more capacity and reduced the travel time to only six minutes. Currently, the average daily traffic is 63,501 vehicles comprising as high as 62,429 cars and jeeps.

The foundation stone was laid in 1999 by Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray. The government had then estimated the project cost at Rs 660 crore to be completed in five years.

However, the project locked into a legal battle, strong opposition from the fishing community and environmentalists and dispute overpayment to the contractor. This led to a change in the partial project design resulting in time and cost overrun. The green lobby had alleged that there was a serious violation of environment laws and there was incomplete Environment Impact Assessment. After a series of hearing the court gave its go-ahead for project development.

The height of the bridge was increased to meet the demands of local fishermen from Worli Koliwada to assist the movement of their boats under the bridge.

The sea link was ultimately opened for public in June 2009 when the cost escalated to Rs 1,630 crore with the additional interest cost worth Rs 700 crore.

MSRDC former chief engineer Sharad Sabnis said that even after a decade the bridge surface with perfectly constructed joints provide a smooth ride. "The profoundness of the structural arrangement and its aesthetic impact on the city's environment is admitted by all. The work done by MSRDC, its contractor and project management consultants remains a benchmark for bridge construction,'' he noted.

Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti President Damodar Tandel said the fishing especially by small fishermen at Mahim and Worli Koliwada have drastically reduced near the coastline. ''They have been hit hard. The government then had made several promises but they have not been met yet,'' he noted.