Maharashtra cabinet committee gives a go-ahead to Mumbai’s Versova-Virar sea link

In a significant development, cabinet committee on the infrastructure of Maharashtra government on Thursday gave a go-ahead to the 43-km extension to the Versova-Bandra sea link till Virar

In a significant development, cabinet committee on the infrastructure of Maharashtra government on Thursday gave a go-ahead to the 43-km extension to the Versova-Bandra sea link till Virar. On Thursday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray also directed the officials to submit a proposal on the Pune-Nashik semi high-speed rail corridor to the state cabinet.

Soil testing at Juhu beach for proposed Versova-Bandra sea link project. (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

The decision of the committee came following a meeting held by Thackeray, on Tuesday with officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to review the Versova-Virar project that is expected to cost around ₹32,000 crore. The project will offer faster connectivity to Vasai-Virar regions and areas up to Dahanu and spur the growth of this area.

According to a government official, who was part of the sub-committee meeting held on Thursday, the state road corporation will now go-ahead with the appointment of a consultant to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on it. “A pre-feasibility report was undertaken for the project, which was also presented to the chief minister on Tuesday. Now, we will undertake the DPR,” the official said.

According to the pre-feasibility report, which HT had highlighted earlier, the sea-link will be built with connectors at Charkop, Uttan, Vasai and Virar. The 4+4 lane main bridge will connect Versova to Virar with 3+3 lane connectors at these four locations. With the coastal road, the Bandra-Worli sea link, Bandra-Versova sea link and the Virar extension, the state is looking at reducing the travel distance from Nariman Point in south Mumbai to Virar (almost 30 km from Borivili) from the current three hours to one hour by car.

The report also estimates 76,762 PCUs (passenger car unit) by 2026 on this extension. There are toll plazas proposed at every interchange. A one-way toll from Versova to Vasai at the time of commercial operations (2026) is estimated to be ₹814 for a car and ₹1,669 for a bus.

In a meeting with officials from the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC) on Thursday, chief minister Thackeray also directed authorities to present the proposal for a semi high-speed rail corridor between Pune and Nashik before the cabinet. The corridor is expected to cut the travel time between the two most important cities of the state from six to seven hours currently to two hours.

The corridor is further expected to boost agriculture, tourism and industries.