Professional Documents
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SR 47 (3) 29-33
SR 47 (3) 29-33
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Feature Article
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MRITYUNJAY BOSE
I
T is gigantic. It is majestic. It is an
engineering technology and has also led to engineering marvel and an
architectural wonder too. The first -
considerable easing of traffic in Mumbai. of-its-kind in India (first bridge to
be constructed in open-sea conditions),
the 5.6-km-long, eight-lane, approxi-
mately Rs 1,600-crore Bandra-Worli
Sea Link (BWSL), which has now been
renamed as the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link,
is an engineering marvel that aims to
ease traffic in Mumbai, India’s
commercial capital.
The construction is a miracle on
the Arabian Sea that has an imposing
presence on the Western horizon of
Mumbai. One can imagine the
strength and might of the bridge given
the fact that it weighs nearly 50,000
African elephants and the length of
steel wires used in the project is
equivalent to the circumference of the
Earth. And it has made the difference:
CM the distance which earlier took nearly
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one uses the old road – now takes just
eight minutes.
SCIENCE REPORTER, March 2010
29 SCIENCE REPORTER, March 2010 29
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Feature Article
CM People Behind the Bridge
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30 A total of 2850 workers and 150
engineers were employed to work on the
project and, over a span of eight years, a
total 2,57,00,000 man hours were
utilised between 2001 and 2009.
Several teams of foreign engineers
and technicians have been involved in
specialized tasks on the structure of the
sea link. These include professionals
from China, Egypt, Canada, Switzerland,
Britain, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand,
Hong Kong, Indonesia and the
Philippines. In terms of language, cultural
differences and methods of work these
key people were different, yet the
engineering challenges kept the group
creatively involved.
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Feature Article
The Link Bridge CM
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consists of twin 31
continuous concrete
box girder bridge
sections for traffic
in each direction.
Each bridge section
except at the cable-
stayed portion is
supported on piers
typically spaced at
50 meters.
Says Mr. S. Srinivasan, Director of methodology for complex geometry of to do something new, challenging and
Dar Consultants, UK, “This cable- pylon said, “I was working on a project interesting so I joined this project. This
stayed bridge is the longest bridge in in China at that time and my friend from sea link is technically challenging and
South-East Asia and certainly the India had sent me a picture of the cable- aesthetically pleasing.”
longest in India so far. The cable-stayed stayed bridge. The picture hooked me M.C. Bhide, veteran engineer and
bridge gives aesthetic appeal to the so much that I left the ongoing project Honorary Director-General of the
bridge.” of Sutong Bridge and came to India. I Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers
Mr. Len Gower, a Canadian survey have done nine projects and they all (IIBE) referred to the BWSL as an
expert, who worked on evolved survey have the same boring design. I wanted “engineering marvel” and one of the
“best projects” in recent times.
A major chunk of steel for
Renamed Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, the bridge is an engineering marvel that aims to constructing the bridge came from the
ease traffic in Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). As a
matter of fact, each cable can bear a load
of 900 tonnes. The BWSL has gobbled
up a total of nearly 22,235 tonnes of steel;
SAIL’s share is pegged at over 13,780
tonnes, according to SAIL officials.
The sea link begins at the Mahim
Interchange at the northern end and
joins Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road on
the Worli Sea Face at the southern end.
The link connects Bandra to Worli by a
5.6 km long bridge. The Sea Link is
primarily meant to provide an
alternative to the Mahim Causeway
CM route that is presently the only
YK connection between the south Mumbai
and the Western and Central
suburbs.
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Feature Article
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32 SCIENCEREPORTER,
SCIENCE REPORTER,March
March2010
2010
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Feature Article
Bulky Equipment CM
The link connects Bandra to Worli by a 5.6 km long bridge. Construction of the mammoth bridge
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SCIENCE
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REPORTER, March
March 2010
2010
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