Bandra - Worli Sea Link update

The additional four lanes of the Bandra-Worli sea link, for motorists heading towards Bandra from Worli, are complete. But its earlier inaugural date of March 16 (the auspicious Gudi Padwa day) has been postponed to March 24. The reason for postponement being cited is incomplete painting work, but sources claim it is actually due to non-availability of state leaders for the inaugural ceremony. “We can inaugurate the link on Gudi Padwa and there is no work left. But leaders are not available for the inauguration,” revealed officials involved with execution and monitoring of the project. Work like tarring of the road, fitting of streetlights, installation of cameras are complete. Originally the carriageway was to be commissioned by December 2009 but work ran behind schedule. Senior MSRDC officials insisted the postponement was due to delay in street-lighting, painting and signage fitting works and not non-availability of leaders for the ceremony. However, it is learnt that even after the inauguration on March 24 the new northbound carriageway will only be partially operational and motorists will have to wait till May to enjoy the complete ride. Sources said motorists coming from Worli will not be able to use around 450 m of the new carriageway. “This is a temporary measure,” said the official. The reason for this is a huge launching truss located exactly where the two carriageways converge towards Worli. “Till the machine is removed, Bandra-bound traffic from Worli will be diverted to the new carriageway from the connector which is 450 m ahead of the original point,” said an MSRDC source.