RInfra-Astaldi bags Mumbai's Versova-Bandra sea-link project

The Reliance Infrastructure Ltd-Astaldi S.p.A. (Italy) consortium has bagged the project for the much-anticipated northern extension of the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link from Bandra to Versova, an official said here on Tuesday.

The consortium signed an agreement with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for the Rs 7,000 crore Bandra-Versova arm of the RGBWSL within five years, with work slated to start in October.

In the competitive bidding process, RInfra-Astaldi with its bid of Rs 6,993.99 crore beat the L&T-Samsung and Hyundai Development Ltd-ITD to bag the country's single biggest urban infrastructure project.

The MSRDC had floated the tenders for the construction of the second sea link on an EPC-basis to build the Versova-Bandra Sea Link, 17.17 km-long, or three times the existing 5.6 km-long RGBWSL.

"Once completed, Versova-Bandra Sea Link project will slash commute time from Worli to Versova from almost two hours to mere 15 minutes and transform the way people live and travel in Mumbai," said RInfra CEO Lalit Jalan.

RInfra EPC CEO Arun Gupta said the mega-project will further propel the company as a premier EPC company in India.

"Our partnership with Astaldi S.p.A. will help us create a truly world class mega-infrastructure project for Mumbai," Gupta said.

Though the project is slotted for completion within five years, during monsoons, works would be completely stalled, giving the consortium barely three-and-half years to ready it.

MSRDC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Radhyesham Mopalwar said the link will bring huge relief to the traffic congestion of Mumbai along with comfort to the travellers.

"Considering the size of the work (three times longer than present sea link), it would be iconic among the country's infrastructure wonders," Mopalwar said.

Jalan added that the existing Sea Link carries one million vehicles per year, but once completed the Versova-Bandra Sea Link is estimated to serve nearly 10 times that number, or one crore vehicles per annum, permitting Mumbaikars hassle-free connectivity from Worli to Versova with just one toll stoppage.

Since it is a project awarded on engineering and construction basis, there is no operating or revenue implication for Reliance Infrastructure, he added.

The present 5.6 km-long RGBWSL, a cable-stayed bridge between Bandra and Worli, was fully opened for operations in early 2010.

The country's first sealink road project, the RGBWSL, has slashed the travel time between Worli and Bandra from around 40 minutes to barely 10 minutes, and later plans were announced to extend the alternative sea route to Nariman Point in south and to Versova and finally till Borivali in north.

The Astaldi S.p.A., RInfra's project partner, is the world's third largest player in bridge construction and has executed the world's fourth longest suspension bridge Izmit Bay Bridge, Turkey worth Rs 45,500 crore in April 2016.

That year, it also completed the Western High Speed Diameter Motorway in St. Petersburg, Russia, worth Rs 17,600 crore, comprising a 12 km section with 5.3 km-long viaducts on sea and two cable-stayed bridges.

--IANS

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