Mumbai: Sewri-Worli connector hangs in limbo

An artist's impression of the Sewri-Worli elevated corridor

The execution of the Sewri-Worli connector project is still in limbo six years after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority made the proposal. The MMRDA this week invited fresh tenders for the project after a poor response to the last invite. The planning authority had sent an invitation for the construction of the bridge, which would connect the Bandra Worli Sea Link to the under-construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Corridor, on May 27. However, only one bidder came forward. "We had invited tenders for the design and construction of the elevated Sewri-Worli connector but we received only one bid. We have now floated fresh tenders and are expecting a positive response," MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawathkar told mid-day.

The MMRDA had first invited tenders in 2013, the year it proposed the project, and five companies had even come forward but the price quotations were lower than the reserved price. The planning authority said it hopes to start the construction of the Sewri-Worli connector after monsoon and complete it within four years. The project is aimed at improving the east-west connectivity and cut down the travel time between Sewri and Worli from 50 minutes to mere 10 minutes. The 4.3-km connector will have 2+2 lanes and will be constructed at a cost of over '900 crore. The execution will not be an easy task for MMRDA as the alignment passes through densely populated areas like BDD Chawls and Kamgar Nagar slums, and some buildings on both side of the Jagannath Bhatankar road are very close to the project site. Sources said, the MMRDA would take the help of MHADA, SRA and BMC for the rehabilitatio and resettlement of those affected by the Sewri-Worli connector.

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