Mumbai News: BMC Prepares To Install 2,000-Tonne Bowstring Arch Girder For Coastal Road Link Today

The BMC will undertake the launching of the 2,000-tonne ‘bowstring arch’ girder to connect Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) with Mumbai Coastal Road early morning today (Friday). The installation work is expected to take five to six hours. The 136mt steel girder will be India’s bowstring arch girder in the open sea.

The installation of this crucial girder was initially planned for April 18-19. However, it was postponed for a week due to unsuitable climatic conditions. Finally, the structure reached the coastal road site on early Thursday morning.

Challenges and Timeline For Installation Of Mumbai Coastal Road Girders

The girders are prefabricated structures that were transported from the Nhava Jetty in Navi Mumbai to the launch site in Worli on a 25,000 metric tonne barge anchored in the Arabian Sea. The launch of the girder will take place in the waters as there is no sufficient land strip available at the launch site, said the civic official. 

“The installation will be a very challenging task as the sea in Worli has shallow waters and shifting conditions. Also, the undersea rock can damage the barge. So the work has to be carried out carefully. After the girders are launched, work on laying asphalt roads will be taken up,” said a senior civic official. 

A second 143mt girder weighing 2,400 tonne, which is to be placed parallel to Coastal Road’s northbound arm, will undergo a similar assembly and transport process. “The launching of the second girder, which is currently at Nhava Jetty, will be carried out in the last week of May,” said an official.