The BMC successfully constructed a 44-meter span early Tuesday morning as part of the final two bridge sections connecting the Mumbai Coastal Road’s northbound lane to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL). Installing the remaining 60-meter span will be the project’s last phase. The coastal road, which will connect the BWSL to Marine Drive, is projected to be operational by the end of December.
The 44-metre bridge span, weighing 412 metric tonnes, arrived in Worli on Sunday evening after departing from Karanja Port in Navi Mumbai. Due to favourable sea conditions, the installation of the 44-meter bridge span began at 3 a.m. on Tuesday and was completed by 6:12 a.m., lasting approximately three hours.
The barge will then transport the remaining 60-meter span. The installation of this final span, scheduled for next weekend, will complete both the northbound and southbound connectors connecting the Coastal Road to the BWSL, marking an important milestone in the project.
The 120-meter arch bridge and the 46-meter BWSL spans were built in April. This connector, like the one now in service, has four spans in total. The southbound carriageway of the connector, which connects Marine Drive to the Sea Link, 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. The 3.5-kilometer length from Haji Ali to Abdul Gaffer Khan opened on July 11.
The 10.58-kilometer Coastal Road connects the Princess Street Flyover on Marine Drive to the Worli terminus of the BWSL. The huge project, with a total investment of Rs.13,983 crore, began in October 2018. The Coastal Road has decreased travel time by 70% and fuel usage by 34%, according to a city official.
Source: The Free Press Journal
