The Bandra-Worli sea link was inaugurated today by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, reducing the travel time between the southern part of the metropolis and its western suburbs from the present 60-90 minutes to 6-8 minutes.
The 4.8-kilometre long, eight-lane bridge will save around Rs 200-crore a year in vehicle operating cost alone.
The sea link conceived in the 1990s, would thus provide much-needed relief in the congested Mahim Causeway area which records around 1.25-lakh vehicles daily.
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Work on the sea link, which has been constructed by the Ajit Gulabchand-led Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), commenced in October 2004.
The cost of illumination of the bridge would be Rs 9 crore and the height of the cable-stayed tower is equal to a 43-storey building.