Breathtaking views of Bandra Worli Sea Link
Searching for the best landmark in Mumbai? Are you looking out for how to catch various views of BWSL? Searching for some of its technical details? Then in this article you will find the details, where to view the bridge and it has impacted travel in Mumbai. Read on about this magnificent landmark of the country, right here in Mumbai.
If you are interested in one a most beautiful and grand landmarks of Mumbai, then Bandra Worli Sea Link –BWSL is one place to see. It is a magnificent landmark, a must visit for all tourists from across the country.
It is the first bridge of India to be constructed in the open sea condition, has a unique design and is a part of the Western Freeway Sea Project for a better road network of Greater Mumbai. It has emerged as a landmark structure.Motivation
I have seen BWSL being architected and built right from scratch to what it is today. This story starts from where I lived in Mahim right on the beach during the 1990 to 2003. From my terrace and my bedroom gallery I have a wonderful view of the Bandra Bandstand on my right and Worli village on the left. The view turned awesome in the evenings, with different shades of orange, yellow, pink and blue. Sunset on the water's edge was a daily feature from our terrace.
Later a seven floor building came up just in front of ours right into the sea, and our view was completely blocked. CRZ was not a very serious activity then. A few years later we moved at another place full of parrots and squirrels just outside our window on mango tree touching the 3rd floor window. Within a few years the BWSL was constructed amidst a lot of environmental pressure. Last week while I was on BWSL and sweet memories of the sunset came back and I thought for writing this article.
Join me in reading about the 270 degree view of BWSL. A very brief idea of the Link
The BWSL aims to diverttraffic and connects Mumbai's western suburbs to the business heart of South Mumbai. Did you know that every day 500+vehicles are added to Mumbai? There was a need to look at alternate routes of travel and BWSL was one such solution. People taking the Link can avoid 20 signals between Bandra and Worli and it can carry more than 90,000 vehicles out of the total of 1.5 lakh vehicle plying between the Western suburbs and South Mumbai and crossing the Causeway per day. This link has reduced pollution drastically in Mahim, Dadar, Worli and Prabhadevi. The travel time is changed from 60-75 minutes to just 75 minutes at the cost of Rs. 55 toll one way. Unbelievable isn't it?
The sea link was proposed in the 1990s, contracted in 2000, and was built for catering to companies, which drive Mumbai's economy of IT, entertainment, finance and diamonds. The construction went through some rough patches from the environmental bodies. It was a 1000 crore MSRDC project executed by Hindustan Construction Company Designs and project management was handled by DAR consultants. The bridge is a contribution by engineers from seven countries, workers from across India and technology from across the world.
One you are aware of the facts of the link you will be able to appreciate this landmark. The total length of the bridge is 4.7 kms and it weighs 670,000 metric tonnes. It supports a dual carriageway of four lanes on both sides, with two lanes reserved for buses. BWSL has two cable-stayed sections in the center and one of them is the largest cable stayed span in India. One tower supports a 500 m long, 6 storeyed cable stayed bridge in the Bandra channel. The twin tower supports 350 m long cable stayed bridge in the Worli channel. Do you know the length of the length of the steel used in the cable stayed bridge? It is approximately 40,000 km in length. Prior to building the bridge an in depth environmental survey was conducted and it was confirmed that fisheries, marine life, fisherman were not affected. BWSL is an engineer's marvel and a very modern intelligent bridge and hence it is worth a visit:
Enough about the sea link, I am sure you must be interested in knowing about its views from different locations, here they are. Breathtaking views
I have seen most of the views of this landmark. Let me say that each one is different, breath-taking and will remain engraved in my heart for life. I am sure you will feel something similar when you read about these views and see the photos. When the sea link opened, Mumbaikars felt like a magic wand have been waved over the sea between Worli and Bandra. For about 2 to 3 weeks there was no toll and people freaked out on this bridge. So here are the various views:
On the BSWL: You should enjoy the drive by four-wheeler on the sea link. As per traffic rules, there is a defined speed limit and no two wheelers allowed to drive on this bridge. You can also drive along the bridge on a bus and view of the sea on both sides from a height. Else take a car with a sun roof, open it and stand up against the breeze and watch the bridge and the sea from the top of the car.
In case you are visiting Mumbai or you are a Mumbaikar but have not seen BWSL then you have surely missed seeing and experiencing a drive on the link, one of the most modern landmarks of the country and a pride for the nation and all Indians!
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Bandra Worli sea link surely helped de congesting Mumbai roads. After the Mumbai's "Queen's Necklace" or Marine Drive, this bridge is what represents Mumbai as an icon. Your writing is very entertaining.