Bandra-Worli Sea Link

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link crosses Mahim Bay on the west coast of Mumbai, joining Bandra in the western suburbs with Worli in south Mumbai. Its official name is the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link. It was commissioned by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and built by the Hindustan Construction Company.

The first four lanes opened on 30 June 2009 and all eight lanes on 24 March 2010. The bridge cut peak-hour travel between Bandra and Worli from about 30 minutes to about 10, by avoiding the crowded Mahim causeway.

The bridge is 5.6 kilometres long including its approaches. Its central part is a cable-stayed section with two spans held by fan-shaped steel cables from tall concrete towers, the highest rising to about 126 metres. The rest is carried on precast concrete viaducts. At night the cables and towers are lit, and the curve of the bridge across the sea is one of the most photographed views of modern Mumbai.

The sea link is part of a wider coastal road network, and it now connects to the Mumbai Coastal Road at its southern end.

The bridge is open only to motor vehicles, and a toll is charged: from April 2021, cars paid ₹85 for a single journey, ₹127.50 for a return and ₹212.50 for a day pass. Pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheelers are not allowed. The best views are from Bandra Fort and the Bandstand promenade, or from Worli Sea Face.

Cable-stayed spans and the 128-metre Bandra tower

The Bandra-Worli Sea Link has two cable-stayed sections. Over the Bandra channel, a 600-metre section has two main spans of 250 metres each, held by 264 stay cables between about 85 and 250 metres long. The main Bandra tower rises about 128 metres above its pile cap. Over the Worli channel, a smaller 250-metre section has a single 150-metre main span and a 55-metre tower carrying 160 cables.

The foundation stone was laid in 1999 and work began in 2000. Hindustan Construction Company built the bridge, and the UK offices of Dar Al-Handasah led project management.

Daily traffic and the new Worli interchange

About 32,000 vehicles used the bridge each day by 2018. The Mumbai Coastal Road, which opened in stages from March 2024, links to the sea link through a new interchange at Worli, so drivers can now run along the shoreline from Marine Drive to Bandra without touching inland traffic. The plan is to carry the coastal route further north toward Kandivali.

Bandra Fort, Bandstand and Worli Sea Face views

You cannot walk on the sea link, so the views come from the land. Bandra Fort, built by the Portuguese, gives the closest high view of the Bandra towers, and the Bandstand promenade below it is busy at sunset. On the south side, Worli Sea Face and the Worli Fort area look back at the bridge across the bay. Monsoon evenings, when the sea is rough and the cables are lit, make the most dramatic photographs.