First Sea Bridge Now Open in Mumbai

July 1, 2009 Posted by India Briefing Reading Time: 2 minutes

Jul. 1 – India’s first open sea one was inaugurated last Tuesday by ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is named after Ms. Gandhi’s deceased husband and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. It is the country’s longest bridge at 5.6 kilometers with an eight-lane capacity that shortens time between Bandra and Worli to eight minutes.

The massive bridge with its concrete deck and steel wires is also one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world. Currently though, only four lanes are to be open while the other lanes will be finished by the Hindustan Construction Company Limited in the next months.

Ms. Gandhi said in a statement during the inaguration: “It is a proud moment not just for Mumbai but also the whole country. This will be a jewel in Mumbai’s development.”

“We at the center and the state, however, need to do much more to boost infrastructure development.”

The construction of the bridge was been delayed by close to four years with the budget ballooning to 16.5 billion rupees.

The toll fee for cars will be priced at 50 rupees for one-way and 75 rupees for two-way. Buses and trucks will have be charged with 100 rupees for a one-way trip.

Hopefully, the new bridge will ease traffic as more Indians are now able to afford to buy cars. India’s infrastructure is due for an upgrade as it has been sorely ill equipped to handle the country’s needs.