Mumbai commute to get faster: Work on city’s second sea link will start by November

Mumbai city news: Construction of the 11.8-km VBSL got the crucial go-ahead from the Maharashtra government on Tuesday

In just three years, you may be able to zip from Worli to Versova via the Versova-Bandra sea link (VBSL), an extension of the 5.6-km Bandra-Worli sea link.

The sea link is an important part of the coastal road project, which plans to connect south Mumbai to the western suburbs by a series of tunnels, sea links and reclaimed roads (HT Photo)

Construction of the 11.8-km VBSL is expected to kick off by November, as it got the crucial go-ahead from the state government on Tuesday. Like the Bandra-Worli sea link, the Rs7,502 crore VBSL will also be a cable-stayed bridge.

The VBSL is an important part of the coastal road project, which plans to connect south Mumbai to the western suburbs by a series of tunnels, sea links and reclaimed roads.

The state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has selected five bidders for the project — Reliance-CGCD JV, Hyundai-ITD Cementation JV, CHEC-Soma JV, HCC-SKEC JV and L&T-Daewoo JV.

“We had shortlisted five consortia for the construction while we were awaiting the government’s go-ahead. The construction will start by October or November and be completed by the end of 2020,” said K V Kurundkar, joint managing director, MSRDC.

The sea link is expected to have three connectors — one at Otter’s Club, Bandra; another at Juhu Koliwada and a third at Nana Nani Park at Versova.

The MSRDC, however, is yet to get clearance from the forest department for the mangroves that need to be cut at sites where the three connectors will come up. “We are in talks with the forest department. We hope to secure clearance in a month,” said a senior MSRDC.