News Detail

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The Bandra-Worli sea link may finally be extended 11 Km to Versova along the coast at a cost of around INR 5,000 crore, after years of delay and failure in the tendering process.&nbsp;</span></span></span><span style="color:rgb(105, 105, 105); font-family:arial; font-size:11px; line-height:1.6em">A cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure led by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday told the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to float a tender for the Bandra-Versova coastal link project.</span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Following environmental clearance to the Pedder Road flyover and the national green tribunal&#39;s directive to explore a parallel costal road along Worli sea face up to Haji Ali, traffic on the western road corridor may get a parallel road link from Versova to Marine Drive near Girgaum Chowpatty over five to six years. &quot;This can be a possibility if all moves ahead as planned,&quot; Mantralaya sources pointed out. They denied the decision was to please Mumbaikars ahead of the 2014 elections.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">A public hearing on the project and final plan of consultants have been in place besides environmental clearance. Sources said the issue of Juhu airport&#39;s extended runway coming across the sea link had also been resolved.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&quot;The runway will not come in the way as the link will have a bridge over the Juhu beach area much inside the sea. Neither will the link obstruct the landing path nor the runway construction,&quot; a highly placed cabinet source said.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">The project will be built on a private partnership basis and will get a toll booth between Versova and Bandra to recover construction and maintenance costs.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">&quot;While a major portion of the link will be built on stilts and pillars along the coast, without disturbing mangroves and the coast&#39;s beauty, the Juhu beach portion may have a bigger bridge to permit easy access to fishermen&#39;s boats,&quot; the sources said.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><strong>Bandra-Versova Coastal Link Project </strong></span></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">11 Km link with certain stretches on stilts and pillars will have bridges on creeks and beaches</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Will facilitate saving of about 45 minutes for the traffic from Versova up to South Mumbai besides saving of fuel and pollution</span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Users will have to pay a separate toll other than the one at bandra-Worli sea link</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Will decongest the western express highway and the existing suburban railway</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-size:11px"><span style="font-family:arial">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>