Mumbai: Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra) will construct a 17.17 km-long Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) at a cost of Rs 7,000 crore, a statement said here on Wednesday.
The project – to be developed by RInfra in partnership with Italy’s Astaldi S.p.A. – was awarded on June 24 and shall be commissioned within the next five years.
Coming exactly 10 years after the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link was opened in June 2009, the VBSL will cut down the commute time from over 90 minutes to barely 10 minutes, entailing huge savings in fuel and eco-friendly travel along the city’s western coast.
The VBSL will be connected with the existing Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) which is 5.6 km long.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) awarded the project to the RInfra-led consortium, which has already completed the works for the project in collaboration with world-class contractors.
This includes soil investigation with Messrs. Fugro Ltd and engineering design with Messrs. Dar Al Handasah.
“This project will further propel RInfra as a premier engineering and construction company in India. Our partnership with Astaldi S.p.A., the third biggest construction player in the world in bridges, will help us create a truly world-class mega-infrastructure for Mumbai,” said RInfra Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Punit Garg.
The VBSL will provide an additional north-south link to commuters who presently depend on the Western Express Highway (WEH), the Link Road and S.V. Road in the western suburbs.
The total sea link length on VBSL will be 10 km, besides four ramps and three connectors totalling to 17.17 km.
The VBSL will also provide access to the WEH and Mumbai Airport at the northern end and will be linked with the BWSL at the southern end, offering a smooth ride from Versova to Worli in about 20 minutes.
The VBSL and BWSL are part of the proposed western freeway project to link Borivali at the northern end with Nariman Point down south.
RInfra is fully geared to deliver the project in 60 months from the appointed date of the contract, Garg added.
