The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a cable-stayed bridge that connects Bandra in the western suburbs of Mumbai to Worli in south Mumbai. At 5.6 km long, it is the first of its kind to be built over open sea in India. It consists of twin continuous concrete box girder bridges and cable stayed portions supported by central towers. The bridge was commissioned to reduce travel time between Bandra and Worli from 50-60 minutes to just 8-10 minutes and decongest traffic. It cost Rs. 16 billion to build and carries an average of 37,500 vehicles per day.

1. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link
- Mumbai’s New Landmark

2. INTRODUCTION :-
The Bandra –Worli Sea Link (BWSL) is also known as Rajiv
Gandhi Sea Link (officially).
This is the India’s first cable stayed sea bridge with pre-
stressed concrete steel viaducts on the Arabian Sea
which links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai
with Worli in South Mumbai.

3. This ₹16 billion (US$240 million) bridge was commissioned by
the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation
(MSRDC), and built by the Hindustan Construction Company
(HCC).
The structure, with a length of 5,600m(5.6km), is the first open
sea cable stayed structure.
The Construction of BWSL was started in 2000.
The first four of the eight lanes of the bridge were opened to
the public on 30 June 2009. All eight lanes were opened on 24
March 2010.
The Sea Link reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli
from 50–60 minutes to 70 minutes. The Bandra Worli Sea Link
project was planned to be build to reduce the travel time
between Bandra and Worli.
The link has an average daily traffic of around 37,500 vehicles
per day, about half the pre-opening estimate of 70,000.

4. IMPORTANCE:-
The sea link is India's longest bridge and the first in the
country to be built over open sea.
The sea link project is an Engineering marvel.
OBJECTIVES:-
Understanding the structural and technological concepts
included in bridge construction like northern and southern
viaducts
Understanding the management techniques used for
Bridge Management, Toll Collection and Security.
Understanding the methods used for power supply and
lighting.

5. LITERATRATURE SUPPORT TO THIS TOPIC
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles
such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of
providing passage over the obstacle.
Designs of bridges vary depending on the following:-
The function of the bridge
The nature of the terrain where the bridge is
constructed
The material used to make it
The funds available to build it
BRIDGES TYPES:-
Structure type
Double-decked Bridges
Fixed or Movable Bridges
Viaducts
Bridge types by use
Bridge types by material

6. STRUCTURE TYPE
Bridges may be classified by how the forces of tension,
compression, bending, torsion and shear are distributed
through their structure.
TYPE OF BRIDGES:-
Beam Bridge Truss Bridge
Cantilever Bridge Arch Bridge
Suspension Bridge Cable Stayed Bridge

7. CABLE STAYED BRIDGE
In the cable-stayed bridge, the towers are the primary load-
bearing structures which transmit the bridge loads to the
ground
By design all static horizontal forces of the cable-stayed bridge
are balanced so that the supporting towers do not tend to tilt or
slide, needing only to resist horizontal forces from the live
loads.
ADVANTAGES:-
Much greater stiffness than the suspension bridge, so
that deformations of the deck under live loads are
reduced.
Can be constructed by cantilevering out from the tower - the
cables act both astemporary and permanent supports to the
bridge deck.
For a symmetrical bridge (i.e. spans on either side of the tower
are the same),the horizontal forces balance and large ground
anchorages are not required.

8. BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE PROCESS/CONCEPT
PROJECT PHASES
A project is divided into various phases for obtaining better
control over different project activities. All the phases combine
to form project’s life cycle.
Following are the different phases of project life cycle
Phase A- CONCEPTION
It consists of need for (BWSL); Before the development of this
link Mahim Causeway was the only connecting way between
suburbs and south Mumbai.
Bandra worli sea link now provides an alternate way for
diverting vehicular traffic to South Mumbai and thereby
redusces vehicular congestion.
It also reduces the travelling time to just 8 – 10 minutes as
compared Mahim causeway which takes almost 50 minutes.

9. Phase B: DEFINITION
This phase has basic two objectives
Determination of final, detailed system requirements
Preparation of a detailed project plan
This phase can be divided into three main parts/steps:-
STEP 1: USER REQUIREMENTS
Additional connectivity from city to suburbs.
Reduction of travel time from 1 hour+ to only 7 minutes.
Decongestion Mahim Causeway- 125,000 vehicles a day.
Avoiding 29 traffic lights.
Saves vehicle operating cost
STEP 2: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
An 8-lane bridge.
The sea-link should link Bandra and the western suburbs
of Mumbai.

10. Modern toll plaza.
Traffic monitoring system
Emergency support
Power supply
Road lighting system
STEP 3: SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS
8 Lane Bridge out of which 2 is specially assigned for buses.
The length of the bridge is required to be 4.7 km over the
sea-surface and the weight is almost 670000 tones.
Single tower supported at 500 meters long Cable Stayed
Bridge at Bandra Channel.
Twin tower supported 350m Cable Stayed Bridge at Worli
Channel for each carriageway.
There should be toll plaza of 16 lanes which should have
automated toll collection which should include CCTV’s,
traffic counting, emergency telephones. Also payment
mode by cash as well as smart card to be provided.

11. Phase C: PLANNING
The overall project consisted of some distinct parts.
Construction of a flyover over Love Grove junction in Worli.
Construction of the central cable-stayed spans with northern
and southern viaducts from Worli to the Toll Plaza at Bandra
end.
Improvements to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road.
The 3rd project was the main phase of Bandra–Worli Sea
Link Project.

12. DESIGN
Main cable-stayed span of BWSL was designed as the first
cable-stayed bridge to be constructed in open seas in India.
The foundations for the BWSL’s cable-stayed bridges consist
of 120 reinforced concrete piles of 2,000 mm diameter
The viaducts consist of 484 piles of 1,500 mm.
These 604 piles were driven between 6m and 34m into the
substrate in geotechnical conditions that varied from highly
weathered volcanic material to massive high strength rocks.
PYLON TOWER
The largest pylons for the bridge consist of diamond shaped
128m high concrete tower

13. The bridge’s pylon towers gradually decrease in cross-section
with height.
The tower legs are inclined in two directions, which presented
challenges in alignment and climbing of soldiers.
The designer of BWSL is Sheshadri Srinivasan, 77 year old
Bridge Design Engineer, post graduate strutural engineer from
Madras University working in the Lebanese engineering firm Dar
Al Handasah

15. PRE-CAST YARD
The yard catered to casting, storing and handling of 2342
concrete-steel pre-cast segments for the project.
The storage capacity requirement of yard was about 470
precast segments
SEGMENTS
The Pre-Cast segments are joined together using high strength
epoxy glue with nominal pre-stressing initially.
The segment weights vary from 110 to140 tonnes (110 to 140
long tons; 120 to 150 short tons) per segment
The segments are the large pre cast concrete stones.
The segment length varies from 3,000 to 3,200 mm.
Two successive piers have 14 number of segments between
them and 2 segments on piers.

17. FOUNDATION & STRUCTURE
BWSL 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 50 m apart.
The foundations for the BWSL project consist of 2,000-mm
diameter piles numbering 120 for the cable-stayed bridges
and 1,500-mm diameter piles numbering 484 for the approach
bridges.
The bridge consists of three distinct parts:-
The north-end viaduct
The central cable-stayed spans
The south-end viaduct
Both the viaducts used pre cast segmental construction.
The cable-stayed bridge on the Bandra channel has a 50m-
250m-250m-50m span arrangement
Worli channel it has a 50m-50m-150m-50m-50m span
arrangement.

18. NORTHERN & SOTHERN VIADUCTS
The viaducts on either side of the central cable-stayed spans
are arranged in 300munits consisting of six continuous spans
of 50 m each.
Expansion joints are provided at each end of the units.
The viaducts were built utilizing pre-cast, post-tensioned,
segmental concrete-steel box girder sections.

19. CABLE STAYED SPANS
The cable-stayed portion of the Bandra channel is 600 m in
length between expansion joints
It consists of two 250m cable supported main spans flanked by
50 m conventional approach spans.
A centre tower, with an overall height of 128 m above pile cap
level, supports the superstructure by means of four planes of
cable stay in asemi-harp arrangement.
Cable spacing is 6 m along the bridge deck.
The cable-stayed portion of the Worli channel is 350 m in
length between expansion joints
A total of 264 cable stays are used at Bandra channel
A total of 160 cable stays are used at Worli channel
It consists of one 150 m cable supported main span flanked
on each side by two 50m conventional approach spans.

20. BRIDGE MANAGEMENT
The Bandra end of the toll plaza has 16 approach lanes.
Automatic electronic payment system through On-board
Units mounted on vehicles for frequent-commuters that
enable vehicles to pass without stopping.
Semi-automatic cash-less electronic payment via a smart
card in unattended lanes.
Manual toll collection for payment by cash, to a toll attendant.
SECURITY
The bridge uses mobile explosive scanner for vehicles
travelling on the sea link.
Scans take less than 20 seconds for each vehicle with
sensors above and below the vehicles.

21. Over 180 cars can be scanned per hour by each scanner.
The pillars and the towers supporting the bridge are
protected by buoys designed to withstand explosions
and collisions.

22. I am already in love
with this new
beauty in Mumbai
….and so will you be pretty soon !!