30 firms interested in building twin tunnels for Rs4K-cr GMLR

The companies who have expressed interest include firms already involved in the construction of the Colaba-Seepz Metro-3 line, and some globally-known ones from China, Korea and Japan.

Thirty companies have expressed interest in constructing twin tunnels for the underground Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) that will pass below Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

The GMLR, a long-pending project of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, will be a 14-km long road, with a combination of tunnels and an elevated road. (HT Photo)

These companies include firms already involved in the construction of the Colaba-Seepz Metro-3 line, and some globally-known ones from China, Korea and Japan.

The nearly Rs4,000-crore project will be financed by the BMC.

The GMLR, a long-pending project of the civic body, will be a 14-km long road, with a combination of tunnels and an elevated road. It will connect the western and eastern suburbs. A part of the project will be the twin tunnels, measuring around 4.7km and 4.6km, that will pass below SGNP. The proposition has attracted criticism as SGNP is one of the biggest forest covers in India.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had in July floated an expression of interest (EOI) for the tunnels, calling for suggestions from companies, which are experts at using tunnel boring machines (TBM) for tunnelling.

The last day to submit EOI was August 14. While the BMC has not revealed the names of the interested companies, it said some of the participants are from China, Japan and Korea and are well-known for tunnelling work.

Sanjay Darade, chief engineer, bridges department, BMC, said, “We received responses from 30 companies who have given us their technical suggestions for construction of tunnels for GMLR. The interested parties include TBM manufacturers, and some contractors who are already working for the underground Metro corridor. After going through the suggestions, we will float bids for technical qualification of interested bidders.”

The TBM technology is also being used for tunnelling for the underground Metro-3 corridor. TBM is a highly-mechanised earth pressure balance (EPB) device that is used around 20-25 metres below the ground to construct tunnels with a circular cross-section. The entire bidding process is expected to take at least six months, and construction is expected to start only in the next financial year.