Mumbai: The BMC successfully installed a 44-meter span as part of the final two bridge sections connecting the north-bound carriageway of the Mumbai Coastal Road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) early on Tuesday morning. The installation of the remaining 60-meter span will mark the final phase of the project. Once completed, the coastal road is expected to be operational for traffic from the BWSL to Marine Drive by the end of December.
The 44 metre bridge span with weight of 412 metric tonnes which departed from Karanja Port in Navi Mumbai, successfully reached Worli by Sunday evening. Due to favorable sea conditions, the installation of the 44-meter bridge span began at 3 AM on Tuesday and was completed by 6:12 AM, taking about three hours.
Following this, the barge will deliver the final 60-meter span. The installation of this last span, planned for next weekend, will complete both the northbound and southbound connectors linking the Coastal Road to the BWSL, marking a significant milestone in the project.
The 120-meter arch bridge and the 46-meter adjoining BWSL spans were erected in April. This connector, like the one already in operation, consists of four spans in total. The southbound carriageway of the connector, linking Marine Drive to the Sea Link, was opened to traffic on September 13. The southern arm of the road, from Worli to Marine Drive, opened on March 12; the northern arm, from Marine Drive to Haji Ali, opened on June 10; and the 3.5-km stretch from Haji Ali to Abdul Gaffer Khan opened on July 11.
The 10.58-km Coastal Road stretches from the Princess Street Flyover at Marine Drive to the Worli end of the BWSL. The ambitious project, with an investment of Rs.13,983 crore, commenced in October 2018. The Coastal Road has reduced travel time by 70% and fuel consumption by 34%, claims the civic official.
