Sonia Gandhi inaugurates Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday inaugurated the Rs 1,684 crore (Rs.16 billion), 5.6-km Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL), India's first open 8-lane, cable-supported sea bridge that will reduce traffic congestion in this metro.

The eight-lane freeway is expected to reduce the 40-minute journey to just 15 minutes for the commuters between Bandra, on the western suburb, to Worli in South Central Mumbai to just eight minutes.

Initially, the project was conceived at a cost of Rs 400 crore, to be finished by 2004. The cost has risen four fold to Rs 1684 crore due to constant change of plans and other delays.

Out of the total project cost, the Maharashtra government is expected to give Rs 580 crore as viability funding.