This beautiful bridge in Mumbai was opened in 2009, it is built to connect the suburbs of Mumbai to the town, that is, in south Bombay (abbreviated as SOBO by the local people). This brilliantly engineered, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side was built to reduce the travel time by approximately 20 minutes for the people traveling from Bandra to Worli. It is one of the most famous places in Mumbai where you can go for a long drive with your special ones cherishing the beautiful skyline and the magnificent sea flowing underneath. There are many exciting and interesting facts about Bandra Worli Sea Link are as follows:
India’s first eight-lane
It was the first eight-lane bridge built in India. This cable-stayed freeway bridge over the open sea is 5.6 km long. Its weight is equal to the weight of 50,000 African Elephants put together. It experiences average daily traffic of around 37,500 vehicles.
The final cost of the bridge-Rs 16.5 billion
Rs. 90 million was spent on illuminating the sea link. The bridge was accredited by the Maharashtra State Road Transportation Corporation (MSRDC). It was designed by Seshadri Srinivasan and constructed by Hindustan Construction Company, India.
The initial planned cost of the bridge was estimated to 13 billion, but increased to 16.5 billion, due to the delay in the execution of the project.
Construction of the bridge took a decade
The construction of the bridge was started in 2000 and completed in 2010. It took 10 years for the bridge to be completed and become fully functional. The height of the bridge is 413ft, and width is 66ft.
Construction was worked on by groups from 12 groups
Construction of this architectural marvel was not only executed by skilled groups from India, but also by groups from 11 other countries, that are, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Serbia, Egypt, China, Canada, Switzerland, Britain, Hong Kong.
Length of steel wires = circumference of the Earth
The length of the steel wires used in the project is equal to the circumference of the Earth. Each cable of the sea link can take a weight of 900 tons.The length of the Bandra-Worli sea link is 63 times the height of the Qutub Minar in Delhi.
The foundation stone was laid in 1999 by Bal Keshav Thackeray
Famously known as Balasaheb Thackeray, an Indian politician who founded the Shiv Sena party and it was inaugurated by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Mumbai on 30th June 2009.
The bridge consumes 1,000 KW power a day
It is enough to meet the need for electricity for 100 households. It is always lit up, and that is what adds to its charm.
It has consumed 90,000 tonnes of cement
It consumed 900 tonnes of cement which would suffice to make five buildings of ten-story each.
The height of the largest tower is equal to a 43 storied building
The highest pylons for the bridge consist of a diamond-shaped 420 ft high concrete tower featuring flaring lower legs and converging upper legs.
One of the cleanest places in Mumbai
This is self-witnessed. The Bandra Worli sea link is very clean. This is one of the most interesting facts about the Bandra Worli sea link, as Mumbai being a very crowded city, it is hard to see any clean places.
People are not allowed to stop and sit there
This is one of the very strict rules. You cannot stop and sit there to click pictures(which is very important for people these days) as this would welcome traffic and garbage. You are heavily fined if you do so.
Toll Tax
There is toll tax collection at the sea link. It is different for different types of vehicles passing through the bridge. There are monthly and daily passes available for frequent commuters.
Apart from all of these, speaking from my personal experience the sea link is beautiful and pleasant to look at, whether you look up in the sky or below in the sea. It is a must-visit place. This engineering and architectural marvel is very spacious and the view is very alluring. You can see the whole of Mumbai from there and believe me, it looks really amazing. I hope you enjoy reading these interesting facts about the Bandra Worli sea link.