By Group - 2

Introduction:

• The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a marvel of engineering

technology and has also led to considerable easing of traffic in
Mumbai.
Introduction

• It is gigantic. It is majestic. It is an engineering

marvel and an architectural wonder too. The first - of-
its-kind in India (first bridge tobe constructed in
open-sea conditions),the 5.6-km-long, eight-lane,
approximately Rs 1,600-crore Bandra-Worli Sea Link
(BWSL), which has now been renamed as the Rajiv
Gandhi Sea Link, is an engineering marvel that aims to
ease traffic in Mumbai, India’s commercial capital.
 The construction is a miracle on the Arabian Sea that has an
imposing presence on the Western horizon of Mumbai. One
can imagine the strength and might of the bridge given the fact
that it weighs nearly 50,000 African elephants and the length
of steel wires used in the project is equivalent to the
circumference of the Earth. And it has made the difference: the
distance which earlier took nearly 45 minutes – from Bandra
till Worli if one uses the old road – now takes just eight
minutes.

 Objective of the Project:

•To upgrade the road transportation network of greater Mumbai

•To provide an additional corridor for the free flow of traffic from Bandra to
Worli and Worli to Nariman Point

•To provide an alternative to the Mahim Causeway route that is presently the
only connection between the Island-city and the Western and Central
suburbs.

•To divert traffic that was 125,000 cars a day in each direction and is expected
to grow at the rate of 250 cars per day
Scope of the project :-

•Savings in vehicle operating cost to the tune of Rs. 100 crores per annum due to
reduction in congestion in the existing roads and lower vehicle operating cost on
the bridge ultimately reducing pollution.

•Considerable savings in travel time due to increased speed and reduced delays at
intersections at existing roads. Which results in lower fuel burn ultimately saving
precious fuels like Petrol, Diesel and LPG?

•The bridge would result in lower traffic congestions thereby improving the
environment especially in terms of reduction in carbon monoxide, oxides of
nitrogen and reduction in noise pollution in areas of Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi
and Worli.

•Project to have no adverse effect on fisheries, marine life and livelihood of

fisherman.

•Proper landscaping measures along the approaches and promenade along

waterfront to enhance environment of the area.
 Milestone :-
1. Offshore pile driving, cofferdam placement and marine foundation construction

•Deck segment match casting

•Deck segment installation

2. Pylon leg casting

•Construction of Tower /Pylon below the deck

•Construction of Tower / Pylon above the deck
•Construction of Diaphragm

3. Cable anchorage fabrication

•Stressing of Stay Cables

•Tower head anchor box fabrication

4. Tower head installation

•Deck profile surveys

5. Wet Joint Construction

•Kerb and asphalt grades

•Continuity PT and Grouting of Cables
•Deck closure surveys, pre cable length fine tuning

6. Force adjustment and fine tuning.

•Post fine tuning deck profile surveys

Engineering Challenges Faced During Bridge Construction:

a) Illegality of the Project

•Rules for Ecological Compliance in India.

•Project Location
The site selection is always an effective approach in mitigation of risk.
Sea link project locations should be reviewed based upon various regulatory and
non regulatory criteria.

•The affected persons may include:

Bona fide native natives;
Native associations;
Ecological groups active in the area and
Any other person located at the project site(s) of disinterment

• Monitoring the Clearance Conditions

•Issues with the Planning and Execution of the Project

Risk in Bandra Worli Sea Link Project:

•Before undertaking the construction and execution of the project, there were
several major challenges to be addressed namely

•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.

•The superstructure of the approach bridges was 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.

• A one-of-its-kind, diamond shaped 128m high concrete tower with flaring minor
legs, converging upper legs, unified tower head housing the stays and a
throughout varying cross section along the height of tower.

•Erection of 20000 MT Bandra cable-stayed deck supported on stay cableswithin a

very close tolerance of deviations in plan and elevation.
Recommendations :-

•The Bandra Worli Sea Link Project should be reviewed by an independent body of experts,
including within it among others traffic consultants, town planners, environment
specialists, oceanographers, NGO representatives etc.

•A detailed Environment Impact Assessment needs to be carried out, in accordance with

the rules and guidelines set out by the EIA notification of May 1994.

•A Public Hearing should be conducted (in accordance to the provisions laid out in the
Environmental Protection Act, 1986) with public having full access to all relevant
documents including the “Environment Baseline Report” and the “Environment Statement
Report”. Also these documents should be reasonably priced and/or made available to
concerned citizens or NGOs for photocopying.

•A detailed evaluation has on the impact of the project on the marine life could be
undertaken by the Wild Life Institute of India. Specialised institutes like the National
Institute of Oceanography’ must also be involved in conducting a study on the impact of
this project to the coastline and marine ecology.
Recommendations :-

•Adequate rehabilitation has to be provided for the fishermen affected by the project. This
would imply providing for at least the same standard of living and access to livelihood as
existed before the onset of the project, for these affected individuals to earn their
livelihood.

•Precise data with regard to the financial aspects of the project should be made available to
the public immediately. These should include funding patterns, toll structures, as well as
recovery plans (for investments). The calculation of the costs of the project should take in
to account the hidden costs (including the cost to the environment, loss of GDP due to
flooding etc.)
Tracking Progress and Conclusion :-

•The link Bridge consists of twin continous 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 metre. A total of 2850 workers and 150 engineers were employed to
work on the project and, over a span of eight years, a total 2,57,00,000 man hours were
utilised between 2001 and 2009.

•Several teams of foreign engineers and technicians have been involved in specialized tasks
on the structure of the sea link. These include professionals from China, Egypt, Canada,
Switzerland, Britain, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the
Philippines. In terms of language, cultural differences and methods of work these key
people were different.

•A major chunk of steel for constructing the bridge came from the Steel Authority of India
Ltd (SAIL). As a matter of fact, each cable can bear a load of 900 tonnes. The BWSL has
gobbled up a total of nearly 22,235 tonnes of steel; SAIL’s share is pegged at over 13,780
tonnes, according to SAIL officials.
Tracking Progress and Conclusion :-

•The sea link begins at the Mahim Interchange at the northern end and joins Khan Abdul
Gaffar Khan Road on the Worli Sea Face at the southern end.

•The link connects Bandra to Worli by a 5.6 km long bridge. The Sea Link is primarily
meant to provide an alternative to the Mahim Causeway route that is presently the only
connection between the south Mumbai.

•The project was commissioned to offer a quicker alternative to the north- south traffic that
presently amounts to some 125,000 cars a day in each direction and is expected to grow at
the rate of 250 cars per day. The eight-lane flyover has a capacity of carrying about 1.40 lakh
cars per day.

•Construction of the mammoth bridge structure required some huge cranes and several
other equipments.

•The highlights of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link are the two aesthetically designed cable-
stayed bridges, viz., the Bandra and Worli Cable-Stayed Bridges of 500 and 150 metre spans,
respectively, with the highest towers soaring to a height of 126 metres, equivalent to the
height of a 43-storied building.
Tracking Progress and Conclusion :-

•Some of these included Jack-up platform, floating barrages, boats, crawler crane, tower
crane, gantry crane, derrick crane, launching truss, placer boom, diesel generators, diesel &
air compressors, concrete pump, transit mixers, reverse circulation drilling machine & ‘A’
frame barrage.

•This is considered to be one of the biggest cable-stayed bridges in the world with concrete
deck built with this method of construction

•Special emphasis has been given to incorporate lighting protection at bridge tower and
control room building to protect those buildings / structures and the sophisticated
monitoring and communication equipment installed therein.

•For the entire project, a reliable and dependable power supply has been arranged. 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 lighting levels have been maintained and energy saving
luminaries are installed.
Thank You