Bandra-Worli Sea Link 1

Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link

राजीव गाधी सागरी सेतू

Inaugural ceremony of the Bandra Worli Sea Link

Official name Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link[1]

Carries 8 lanes of road traffic (including 2 lanes dedicated for buses)

Crosses Mahim Bay

Locale Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Maintained by Hindustan Construction Company

Designer Seshadri Srinivasan [2]

Design Cable-stayed, Viaducts

Total length 5.6 kilometers (3 mi) [3]

Height
126m [4]

Longest span
250m x 2 [5]

Clearance below 20m [6]

Construction begin 2000 [7]

Construction end 21 April 2009 [4]

Opened 30 June 2009[8]

50 (US$ 1.14) for one way

Toll 75 (US$ 1.7) for both side

connects
Bandra
to Worli

Coordinates 19°02′11″N 72°49′02″E

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) (Marathi: वादे वरळी सागरी सेतू Wāndre Warḷi Sāgri Setu), officially the Rajiv
Gandhi Sea Link[1] , (Marathi: राजीव गाधी सागरी सेत)ू , is a cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct
approaches, which links Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, and is the first
phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system.
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 2

The 1600 crore (US$ 363.2 million) project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) was
executed by Hindustan Construction Company, with design and project management by DAR Consultants. The
bridge was dedicated to the public on 30 June 2009 by Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi,[9]
although only 4 of 8 lanes were opened to service.[10] All the 8 lanes were opened to traffic on 24 March 2010.
The Sea Link reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli from 45-60 minutes to 7 minutes.[11] The link has an
average daily traffic of around 37,500 vehicles per day, about half the pre-opening estimate of 70,000.[12]

History
Mahim Causeway was the only link connecting the western suburbs to island city of Mumbai. This
north-southwestern corridor would be highly congested resulting in a bottleneck at rush hours. The sea link was thus
proposed to act as an alternate route between the western suburbs of Mumbai and central Mumbai, in addition to the
existing Mahim Causeway, thus easing congestion. This link would also form a part of the larger West Island
Freeway spanning the entire coastline.
The project was initiated more than 10 years ago in 1999 and was supposed to be completed within 5 years but it was
delayed due to public interest litigations. The foundation stone was laid in 1999, by Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb
Thackeray.
It was to cost 300 crore and finished in 2004. [13]

View from the Taj Lands End. Only 4 of the 8
lanes were used from June 2009 to March 2010.
remaining four lanes of the sea link by March 2010.
Purpose
The BWSL project is a part of the Western Freeway Sea Project,
which, in turn, is a part of a larger proposal to upgrade the road
transportation network of greater Mumbai. It is primarily meant to
provide an alternative to the Mahim Causeway route that is presently
the only connection between South Mumbai and the Western and
Central suburbs. The project starts from the intersection of Western
Express Highway and SV Road at the Bandra end, and connects it to
Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road (Worli Seaface) at the Worli end which
in turn connects to Mumbai's arterial Annie Besant Road at the
Narayan Pujari Nagar corner. The MSRDC is planning to open the

The project has been commissioned by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC),
designed by DAR Consultants and is being built by Hindustan Construction Company (HCC).

Construction
The entire project was originally conceived as one large project comprising, different components, but in order to
accelerate the overall construction schedule, the project has been divided into five construction packages. These
packages helped, to an extent, to make the project meet its deadline.
• Package I: Construction of flyover over Love Grove junction at Worli
• Package II: Construction of cloverleaf interchange at Mahim intersection
• Package III: Construction of solid approach road from the Mahim intersection up to the start of the Toll Plaza on
the Bandra side and a public promenade
• Package IV: Construction of Cable-Stayed Bridges together with viaduct approaches extending from Worli up to
the Toll Plaza at Bandra end, Intelligent Bridge System (IBS).
• Package V: Improvement to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 3

Package IV is the largest and main phase of Bandra-Worli Sea Link Project that has been awarded to HCC that
includes cable-stayed bridge, viaduct approaches extending from Worli up to Toll Plaza at Bandra end and Modern
Toll Plaza

Pre-Cast yard
The Pre-Cast yard was located on reclaimed land. The yard caters to casting, storing and handling of pre-cast
segments for the project totalling 2342 in numbers. The storage capacity requirement of yard is to be about 470nos.
As the area available is limited, the segments are to be stored in stacks of three layers.

Marine works

Foundation and substructure

The foundations for the BWSL project consist of 2000-mm diameter piles numbering 120 for the cable-stayed
bridges and 1500-mm diameter piles numbering 484 for the approach bridges. The project's site geology consists of
basalts, volcanic tuffs and breccias with some intertrappean deposits. These are overlain by completely weathered
rocks and residual soil. The strength of these rocks range from extremely weak to extremely strong and their
conditions range from highly weathered and fractured, to fresh, massive and intact. The weathered rock beds are
further overlain by transported soil, calcareous sandstone and thin bed of coarse grained conglomerate. The top of
these strata are overlain by marine soil layer up to 9m thick consisting of dark brown clayey silt with some fine sand
overlying weathered, dark brown basaltic boulders embedded in the silt. The major engineering problems that
needed suitable solutions before proceeding with the work were as follows:
1. Highly variable geotechnical conditions of the foundation bed as explained above.
2. Highly uneven foundation bed even for plan area of one pile.
3. Presence of Intertidal Zone (Foundation Bed exposed in low tide and submerged in high tide).

Cable stay bridges

It is for the first time that cable stay bridges have been attempted on open seas in India. Coupled with the fact that
the aesthetically designed pylons have an extremely complex geometry and one of the longest spans for concrete
deck, the challenges encountered were formidable.

Pylon tower legs

The salient characteristics of the pylon tower that make it complex and challenging from the point of view of
constructability are as follows: (a) The section decreases gradually with height; (b) There are horizontal grooves at
every 3m height and vertical grooves for circular portion that requires special form liners as well as it requires
attention for de-shuttering; (c) The tower legs are inclined in two directions, which creates complexities in alignment
and climbing of soldiers; (d) Construction joints permitted only at 3m level. Inserts were permitted only in horizontal
grooves provided at 3m height. On not being able to get immediate solution from reputed worldwide formwork
manufacturers, the project design team designed an automatic climbing shutter formwork system, which was
fabricated on site and employed to execute all tower leg lifts below deck level. To affect further reduction in time
cycles, HCC approached Doka, Austria. Doka then devised a customized solution based on their SKE-100 automatic
climbing shutter system.
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 4

Engineering challenges
Before undertaking the construction, there were several major challenges to be addressed namely
1. The foundations of the bridge included 604 large diameter shafts drilled to lengths of 6m to 34m in geotechnical
conditions that varied from highly weathered volcanic material to massive high strength rocks.
2. The superstructure of the approach bridges were the heaviest spans in the country to be built with span-by-span
method using overhead gantry through a series of vertical and horizontal curves.
3. A one-of-its-kind, diamond shaped 128m high concrete tower with flaring lower legs, converging upper legs,
unified tower head housing the stays and a throughout varying cross section along the height of tower.
4. Erection of 20000 MT Bandra cable-stayed deck supported on stay cables within a very close tolerance of
deviations in plan and elevation.

Main bridge structure

The bridge consists of twin continuous concrete box girder bridge
sections for traffic in each direction. Each bridge section, except at the
cable-stayed portion, is supported on piers typically spaced at 50
metres. Each section is meant for four lanes of traffic, complete with
concrete barriers and service side-walks on one side. The bridge
alignment is defined with vertical and horizontal curves. The bridge
layout is categorized into three different parts:
• Part 1 - The north-end approach structure with Pre-Cast (PC)
segmental construction.
• Part 2 - The Cable-Stayed Bridge at Bandra channel is with 50m
-250m-250m-50m span arrangement and the Cable-Stayed Bridge at
Worli channel is with 50m-50m-150m-50m-50m span arrangement.
• Part 3 - The south end approach structure with Pre-Cast segmental
construction.

The Bandra Worli Sea link, under construction,

North End approach structure view from the Taj Lands End.

The bridge is arranged in units of typically six continuous spans of 50

metres each. Expansion joints are provided at each end of the units. The superstructure and substructure are designed
in accordance with IRC codes. Specifications conform to the IRC standard with supplementary specifications
covering special items. The foundation consists of 1.5 metres diameter drilled piles (4 nos. for each pier) with pile
caps. Bridge bearings are of Disc Type.
The bridge has been built utilising the concept of Pre-Cast, post-tensioned, segmental concrete box girder sections.
An overhead gantry crane with self-launching capability is custom built by the company to lay the superstructure of
the precast segments. The Pre-Cast segments are joined together using high strength epoxy glue with nominal
pre-stressing initially. The end segments adjacent to the pier are short segments "cast-in-situ joints". Geometrical
adjustments of the span are made before primary continuous tendons are stressed.
Segment types are further defined by the changes in the web thickness and type of diaphragms cast in cell. The
segment weights vary from 110 tonnes to 140 tonnes per segment. The segment length varies from 3000 mm to
3200 mm. Deck post tensioning is performed at the completion of the erection of each 50m bridge span.
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 5

Cable-stayed bridge
The cable-stayed portion of the Bandra channel is 600 metres in overall length between expansion joints and consists
of two 250-metre cable supported main spans flanked by 50 metres conventional approach spans. A centre tower,
with an overall height of 128 metres above pile cap level, supports the superstructure by means of four planes of
cable stay in a semi-harp arrangement. Cable spacing is 6.0 metres along the bridge deck.
The cable-stayed portion of the Worli channel is 350 metres in overall length between expansion joints and consists
of one 150 metres cable supported main span flanked by two 50 metres conventional approach spans. A centre
tower, with an overall height of 55 metres, supports the superstructure above the pile cap level by means of four
planes of cable stay in a semi-harp arrangement. Cable spacing here is also 6.0 metres along the bridge deck.
The superstructure comprises twin precast concrete box girders with a fish belly cross sectional shape, identical to
the approaches. A typical Pre-Cast segment length is 3.0 metres with the heaviest superstructure segment
approaching 140 tonnes. Balanced cantilever construction is used for erecting the cable supported superstructure as
compared to span-by-span construction for the approaches. For every second segment, cable anchorages are
provided.
A total of 264 cable stays are used at Bandra channel with cable lengths varying from approximately 85 metres
minimum to nearly 250 metres maximum. The tower is cast in-situ reinforced concrete using the climbing form
method of construction. The overall tower configuration is an inverted "Y" shape with the inclined legs oriented
along the axis of the bridge. Tower cable anchorage recesses are achieved by use of formed pockets and transverse
and longitudinal bar post-tensioning is provided in the tower head to resist local cable forces.
A total of 160 cable stays are used at Worli channel with cable lengths varying from approximately 30 metres
minimum to nearly 80 metres maximum. Like the Bandra channel, the tower here is also cast in-situ reinforced
concrete using the climbing form method of construction but the overall tower configuration is "I" shape with the
inclined legs. Similarly, tower cable anchorage recesses are achieved by use of formed pockets.
The foundations for the main tower comprise 2 metre-drilled shafts of 25 metres length each. Cofferdam and tremie
seal construction have been used to construct the six metre deep foundation in the dry.

South End approach structure

This portion of the bridge is similar to the North end approach structure in construction methodology with span by
span match cast concrete box girder sections.dhanu advise the sea link is good cantruction of civil engg. thats b the

Toll plaza
A modern toll plaza with 16 lanes is provided at the Bandra end. The toll plaza is equipped with a state-of-the-art toll
collection system. A structure is provided at this location to house the control system for the ITS.

Intelligent Bridge System

The toll station (TP) and collection system will provide for three different types of toll collection, as follows: - Fully
automatic system: Electronic payment through On board Units mounted on the vehicles which allow passage without
stopping. - Semi-automatic system: Electronic payment through a smart card, which allows payment without having
to pay cash. - Manual toll collection: Payment of toll by cash, requiring vehicle drivers to make cash payment to a
toll attendant, and stopping for cash exchange.
The intelligent bridge system will provide additional traffic information, surveillance, monitoring and control
systems. It comprises CCTVs, traffic counting and vehicle classification system, variable message signs, remote
weather information system and emergency telephones. The control centre located near the toll plaza is housed with
the electronic tolling controls. The transmission system comprises fibre-optic cable housed in PVC conduits running
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 6

parallel to the Bandra-Worli corridor. In addition, facilities to assist enforcement are provided in the form of pullout
locations, which will allow drivers and enforcement officers to safely pullout of traffic.
The toll management system and advanced traffic management system has been installed and commissioned by
Efkon India.

Security System
In recent reports by various intelligence organisations, the sea link has been stated as a top terror target. The
Maharashtra govt has already planned to add mobile based explosive scanners[14] on the sea link at a cost of 50
crore (US$ 11.35 million). There will four scanner that will be installed about 50-100 metres ahead of the toll
plaza.[15] [16] It would take 20 seconds to scan a vehicle that drives under the device and nearly 180 cars can be
scanned per hour. Also the waterfront would be fortified using rubber buoys. These inflated buoys will be garlanded
around the pillars of the sea link to avoid any damage due to collision. The buoys are supposed to be tough enough to
sustain an impact.[17]

Power supply and road lighting system

The Bandra Worli Sea link, at night. Probably
taken from Mahim Causeway.
A reliable and dependable power supply has been arranged for the
entire project. It will also house diesel generator sets and auto mains
failure panels to cater to critical load, e.g., monitoring, surveillance and
communication equipment emergency services like aviation
obstruction lights. Adequate levels of lighting levels have been
maintained and energy saving luminaries have been installed. Special
emphasis has been given to incorporate lighting protection at bridge
tower and control room building to protect those building/ structures
and the sophisticated monitoring and communication equipment
installed therein.

References
[1] "Bandra-Worli sealink named 'Rajiv Gandhi Sealink'" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/
Bandra-Worli-sealink-named-Rajiv-Gandhi-Sealink/articleshow/4753472.cms). The Times of India. 2009-07-08. . Retrieved 2009-08-23.
[2] "Khul ja sim sim" (http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=15&
contentid=2009070120090701035211765664eb377). Mumbai Mirror. 2009-07-01. . Retrieved 2010-08-31.
[3] "Sonia opens Bandra-Worli sea-link, to be named after Rajiv" (http://www.zeenews.com/news543195.html). ZeeNews.com. . Retrieved
2010-08-31.
[4] Tembhekar, Chittaranjan; D'mello, Ashley (2009-06-30). "Bandra-Worli sealink opens midnight - Times of India" (http://timesofindia.
indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Bandra-Worli-sealink-opens-midnight/articleshow/4718305.cms). Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. . Retrieved
2010-08-31.
[5] "Bandra Worli, Scribd" (http://www.scribd.com/doc/22462076/Bandra-Worli). Scribd.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-31.
[6] MarineBuzz.com (2008-03-07). "Worli Bandra Sea Link: High Tech Sea Span Bridge in Mumbai, MarineBuzz" (http://www.marinebuzz.
com/2008/03/07/worli-bandra-sea-link-high-tech-sea-span-bridge-in-mumbai/). Marinebuzz.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-31.
[7] "Bandra Worli Sealink Bridge" (http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0010504) (in (German)). En.structurae.de. .
Retrieved 2010-08-31.
[8] "Finally, a date set for opening of Bandra-Worli sea link" (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/
finally-a-date-set-for-opening-of-bandraworli-sea-link/474673/). expressindia.com. Indian Express. 2009-06-11. . Retrieved 2009-06-11.
[9] Tembhekar, Chittaranjan; D'mello, Ashley (2009-06-30). "Bandra-Worli sealink opens midnight - Mumbai - City - The Times of India"
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Bandra-Worli-sealink-opens-midnight/articleshow/4718305.cms).
Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.
[10] "Refer to Package IV - Project Status" (http://www.bandraworlisealink.com/details.html). Bandraworlisealink.com. 2009-07-01. .
Retrieved 2010-08-31.
Bandra-Worli Sea Link 7

[11] "Bandra-Worli sea link extended up to Haji Ali" (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/

bandra-worli-sea-link-extendedto-haji-ali/323162/). Business-standard.com. 2008-05-16. . Retrieved 2010-08-31.
[12] Chittaranjan Tembhekar, TNN, Oct 2, 2009, 04.53am IST (2009-10-02). "Sea link finances cause concern - Mumbai - City - The Times of
India" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/mumbai/Sea-link-finances-cause-concern/articleshow/5079109.cms).
Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.
[13] "Bandra-Worli Sea Link: A hi-tech incompetence?-Infrastructure-Economy-News-The Economic Times" (http://economictimes.
indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Infrastructure/Bandra-Worli-Sea-Link-A-hi-tech-incompetence/articleshow/4723268.cms#).
Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 2009-07-01. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.
[14] "Mumbai police commissioner asks MSRDC to ensure security of Bandra-Worli sealink" (http://www.mynews.in/News/
Mumbai-Bandra-Worli_sea_link_N26393.html). Mynews.in. 2009-09-22. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.
[15] http://www.hindustantimes.com/tabloid-news/mumbai/Your-car-will-be-scanned/Article1-578713.aspx
[16] Source: DNAIndia. "Bandra-Worli Sea Link will get hi-tech security" (http://news.indiainfo.com/
bandra-worli-sea-link-will-get-hi-tech-security-1461695.html). News.indiainfo.com. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.
[17] "DNA: Mumbai - Hi-tech scanners on Bandra-Worli Sea Link by year-end" (http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/
report_hi-tech-scanners-on-bandra-worli-sea-link-by-year-end_1415643). Dnaindia.com. 2010-07-28. . Retrieved 2010-08-03.

External links
• Bandra-Worli Sealink Project (http://www.msrdc.org/projects/bandra_worli.aspx)
• Bandra-Worli Sea Link Project official website (http://www.bandraworlisealink.com/index.html)
• Bandra-Worli Sea Link: A hi-tech incompetence? (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/
Infrastructure/Bandra-Worli-Sea-Link-A-hi-tech-incompetence/articleshow/4723268.cms) from The Economic
Times
• Bandra-Worli Sealink Night Photograph (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/
ez2ObAnPq_LjrCdXgZfmCA?feat=directlink)
Article Sources and Contributors 8

Article Sources and Contributors

Bandra-Worli Sea Link Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=402823422 Contributors: Abhijitsathe, AdjustShift, Amolyin, Ankitbhatt, AnnaFrance, Balaganesh.nit, Bhadani,
Bhagat.Abhijeet, Bishupriyaparam, Brihave, Cambrasa, CarTick, Chhajjusandeep, Cmdrjameson, Coolguyche17, Coooolguy tdh, Dabomb87, Danny, Demorragwar, Divyarathore, Dministrator,
Doorvery far, Eggman64, Gene Nygaard, GrahamHardy, Heyz, Hometech, Hrish.thota, Hspro71, Husainkhan2008, Iball, Ichbinkunal, ImpuMozhi, J.delanoy, JHunterJ, Jak86, Jonoikobangali,
Jovianeye, Jpatokal, JubalHarshaw, Kanags, Kensplanet, Kittoo, Kunaljhaveri, KuwarOnline, LeviStrauss, Logicwiki, Mandar.mulherkar, Manishc, Mazca, Mbxp, McSly, Megaman en m,
Mikey79au, Modster, Nadesai, Nichalp, Nick Number, Nik-Hill, Nikkul, Nothingofwater, Paddu, Phantomsteve, Pizzadeliveryboy, Pranabrulez, Pungimaster, Rait, Rajanpras, Rama's Arrow,
Rbhanti, Redtigerxyz, Reshadpatuck1, Robert Ullmann, Ronhjones, Roshanbpoojary, Rsrikanth05, SameerKhan, Sandstein, SchuminWeb, Shyamsunder, Sluzzelin, Stepheng3, Suyogaerospace,
Swimandrow, Tabletop, Thebigdig, Topest1, Trakesht, Trusilver, Tutorialconr, Umennet, Urprakhar, Woohookitty, अभय नातू, आशीष भटनागर, 190 anonymous edits

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