Mumbai: A year after the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) was completed, the Maharashtra government yesterday signed an agreement with Reliance Infrastructure (Rel Infra) company for the construction of the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link.
The 3.3- kilometre bridge will be an extension of the present sea link that will connect road users to head straight to Haji Ali and cut down travel time by another 20-25 minutes. The state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Road Corporation (MSRDC) signed a contract with Reliance Sea Link One, a consortium of Rel Infra and Hyundai Engineering and Constructions.
Construction is likely to start in 2011 after a delay of more than a year though there is a likelihood of further delay till the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests give its nod to the project. The BWSL took nine years to complete in June 2009 after facing delays for more than four years due to environmental clearance and public litigations. As for this extension, most of the hurdles have been cleared by the state which has sent the proposal to the Centre for environmental clearance. Phase two of the sea link is likely to be commissioned by June 2014.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had decided to hand over the project to the Reliance consortium on February 25 but until now no formal agreement was signed. As per the agreement, Rel Infra will pay Rs51 billion (Dh4.08 billion) to MSRDC for the freeway sea link including the Bandra Worli Sea Link. After the second phase, Reliance can get itself the rights to collect toll on the entire stretch for a period of 40-50 years. Presently, around 48,000 vehicles use the sea link daily.
The consortium will also build a 1.6-kilometre clover leaf shaped connector which will be a loop passing over the south-bound carriageway of the Bandra-Worli sea link and meeting the Worli end.
If this project gets ahead, it will the pave way for the Pedder Road flyover, that has been opposed by local residents for several years.
