25000-tonne girder links Mumbai Coastal Rd to Bandra-Worli Sea Link

02 May 2024 CW Team

Officials announced that the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had achieved a groundbreaking milestone in connecting the upcoming Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR) with the existing Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) through the use of 'tidal waves conditions' in the Arabian Sea. They stated that this was the first experiment of its kind in the country.

The significant achievement involved the successful installation of the first gigantic 136-meter-long Bow Arch String Girder, constructed of steel and weighing approximately 2,000 tonnes. This occurred at 3.25 a.m. on Friday morning, linking the two vital routes in south Mumbai via India's largest 'arch bridge'.

BMC Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, along with Additional Municipal Commissioner Amit Saini and other officials, observed the completion of this engineering marvel after an intense effort of 85 minutes during the early hours while Mumbai was asleep. The massive girder, measuring 18-21 meters wide, was lowered into place.

The journey of the girder began on Wednesday at 12.30 pm on a 25,000-tonne barge from Mazagon Docks and arrived at Worli Bay at 4 am the following day, awaiting further processing.

The setting up of the girder commenced at 2 am on April 26, taking into account the existing tidal conditions. It was gradually brought to the midpoint of the MCR and the BWSL on the barge and expertly stabilized amidst the sea waves and winds to ensure optimal conditions for the final setup.

To achieve this, the engineering teams established four 'mating units', two on the MCR and two on the BWSL, measuring 2 meters and 1.8 meters cones respectively. These were precisely connected at 3.25 am, completing the connectivity amid a resounding round of applause, cheers, and cries of 'hip hip hurray'.

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