Now all the pillars of the Delhi Metro network are showing cracks and are coming down. Sorry state of affairs, I must say! How can you have such a prestigious project, Delhi Metro and bungle once everything has been set up? Things in India can never improve. We can never be another NY, Shanghai of Singapore.

The substance engineers use is sub standard. There is no coordination between concerned parties and nobody communicates properly. If you were on TV that day, you should’ve seen the cranes go kaput. It was hilarious. This happens only in India. And even after that ghastly incident, there are still pillars showing cracks and tottering. With the Commonwealth Games just around the corner, it comes as a surprise to see such a huge project go horribly wrong. Is only Gammon India at fault, or are there other parties involved?

I hope the sea link in Mumbai doesn’t end up like the Delhi Metro.  Talking about the sea link, rumour goes that the concerned authorities have brought down the toll charges so that more people ply on the sea link. But unfortunately, the great architectural masterpiece is proving to have no real value.

Correspondents of a daily newspaper who traveled on the main road and those who took the Sea Link came up with a difference of only 15 minutes in their travel time. So, it really comes as no surprise that very few people are actually using the Sea Link.

The bottle necks at Bandra and Worli might just be adding to the chaos, ever since the Sea Link came up. So, when is our infrastructure going to look up? Even the spacecraft, Chandrayaan that went up in space, developed a technical snag. We shouldn’t be goofing up on such important projects like that. I feel a better planning strategy, more precise decision making and better communication should help improve our lot.

Neha Singh

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Bandra Worli sea link - Damage to the top layer in just 25 days. Bandra worli sea link is opened to public just 25 days ago and the hype over the Bandra Worli Sea Link is starting to wear off, so is the surface of the 5.6-km road.

The surface has started getting damaged with the top layer of bitumen, called the wearing course, coming off at several places. The deteriorating top layer is the first step towards pothole formation.

Bandra worli sea link road surface, laid down using Dutch technology, has been designed to withstand the monsoon and bear high-density traffic. In spite of that, uneven surfaces have appeared at a few spots on bandra worli sea link. More at the Worli-end, merely 25 days after the sea link was opened to traffic.

According to the Chief Engineer, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, The surface is not cracking, It’s uneven at a few spots at the Worli-end. The polymer wearing course is coming off due to traction. They have asked the contractor to look into the matter and resurface it.

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Car owners believe the amount of fuel saved makes BWSL a cheaper alternative to Mahim Causeway.The Rs 50 toll came into effect from Monday,  but city motorists continue to remain enthusiastic about the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Many say that it is still cheaper to use the sea link than take the Mahim Causeway, the only other route to south Mumbai.

Actually the travel from Bandra to Worli on the Mahim Causeway in your car , you waste an hour’s time and two litres petrol worth Rs 97. This includes the time and fuel spent while idling at traffic signals. If you take the sea link, you pay only Rs 50 and I reach Worli in eight to 10 minutes. You save time and a lot of fuel and this is significant, with the recent increase in fuel prices.

While the Mahim Causeway route has 23 traffic signals between the Bandra-Worli stretch, the sea link has only four. During peak hours, a return journey via the Mahim Causeway will cost a car owener two hours and Rs 194 for four litres of petrol. On the other hand, a return journey on the sea link takes only 20 minutes. Adding the cost of a two-way toll (Rs 75) and one litre petrol (Rs 47.50), it comes up to only Rs 122.50. A car owner stills saves Rs 71.50.

Time saved

Travel time from Bandra to Worli on the Mahim Causeway route takes approximately 45 minutes during morning peak hours, and an hour in the evening, with vehicles crawling at an average speed of 20 kmph.

With BWSL, a motorist will save the time and fuel he spends idling in traffic jams and signals. A smart driver will drive the car at an optimum speed of 40-50 kmph on BWSL, switch off the engine while waiting at the signal and save fuel.

Well in the first five days when BWSL was toll free, the bridge saw a daily turnout of around one lakh motorists. However, after the toll came into effect, the traffic situation on the bridge, on the Western Express Highway and on Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan road improved tremendously.

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     Before : toll                                         After : toll

As predicted, the need to pay a toll brought about a smooth drive on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link on Monday. Jams had been endless over the last week, with the ride toll-free.

Monday’s ride was, however, not quite as smooth on roads connecting to the link. This reporter took a cab from Bandra station at 8:53 am and after battling the usual chaos till Lucky Restaurant, reached the sea link toll booth at 9:05 am. The cab crossed over to Worli within four minutes, before the difficulties began.

After leaving the link, vehicles were directed to the junction of the old Passport Office, from where they turned to the Worli sea face route towards Atria Mall and then to Haji Ali, reaching the junction at 9:25 am. After the vehicles pass Haji Ali, Peddar Road is narrower and this causes jams. The Peddar Road journey finally ended near Babulnath Temple chowk at 9.41 am.

The Mahim Causeway journey from 10:20 am saw traffic get stuck at Worli Naka signal and crawl till Haji Ali via Atria Mall. Traffic from the sea link merged with that from the Causeway. The cab reached Haji Ali junction at 11.11 am and was stuck at the signal for four minutes. The narrow Peddar Road again proved troublesome and it took seven minutes from the junction to the end.

(source: Indian Express and photo source : Mid Day)

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The Bandra-Worli sealink was inaugurated on Tuesday, and it was a most memorable day for all Mumbaikars. Now, we all can race to the suburbs within an hour, but I wonder if there’ll be a bottleneck at the Bandra outlet and the Worli outlet. Just from Worli to Bandra in 8 minutes flat, that’s a record of sorts and the creator of the bridge, Mr Seshadri Sreenivasan, should be given all the support that we can give.  

Traffic is a problem we all encounter and all we can do is, grin and bear it. But this flyover is a novel concept that will relieve a lot of congestion and traffic on the Western Express Highway and SV Road. All congratulations to Mr Sreenivasan for this monumental achievement.  

He must have put in a lot of hard work and various factors like wind speed and wave lengths must have gone into building this bridge. The Bandra Worli sea-link is an architectural marvel and Bombay has got its internationally acclaimed monument. The bridge was supposed to have appeared ages ago, but nevertheless, better late than never! 

Bandra Reclamation is a delight for all Mumbaikars and this is another feather in the cap for all those who reside, not only in Bandra, but all of Mumbai. The Worli-Bandra sea-link will open up new avenues for development so badly needed in the city. Just like the JJ flyover, the bridge will provide a great respite to all the commuters in Mumbai. 

Now, we can visit Linking Road and other parts of Bandra and the Western suburbs easily. Many commuters will complain of the high toll, but I guess that’s just the price you have to pay for a comfortable ride. The bridge was resplendent in all its glory on the eve of its inauguration what with all the pyrotechnics and fireworks. 

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