VBSL sounds death knell for second phase of coastal road

Mumbai: The proposed Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL), to be set up by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), is likely to sound the death knell of the   second phase of BMC’s ambitious coastal road project. With the state government directing to go ahead with VBSL, the civic body has no option left but to abandon the northern end of the project.

The BMC had proposed to build a Rs 12,000 crore coastal road project, from Marine Drive to Kandivali (29.22km), along the city’s west coast connecting south Mumbai via Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL). In a bid to expedite the project, BMC had decided to divide it into two parts: south-bound and north-bound. The south part includes the stretch from Marine Drive to BWSL while the north part includes the stretch from BWSL to Kandivali.

With all hurdles clear, BMC is set to start the south-bound project from October. However, the north-bound project has run into trouble with the state government putting its weight behind MSRDC to build VBSL. As both VBSL and the BWSL to Kandivali route go in the same direction, the state government has asked BMC to cancel its plans to go ahead with the north end of the project. A senior official from the state government said, “Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed MSRDC to construct VBSL. He has also asked both agencies to decide on who will construct the further route from Versova to Kandivali,” he said.

The 17.7 km VBSL project comprises 9.5 km of sea link while connectors will constitute 8.2 km. The eight-lane sea link, once completed, will be the longest bridge in the country. The proposed sea link will begin from the Bandra-end of BWSL. Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said, “We are presently concentrating on the north end of the coastal road project. The tenders for the project will be issued soon.”

Civic officials have expressed hope that BMC will get to build the Versova-Kandivali stage. “We have carried out the entire study for our project till Kandivali,” said the senior civic official.