The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has completed viability study of extending the Bandra-Versova sea link till Virar. The proposal will soon be submitted to the state government.
The proposed extension will take the sea link one km inside the sea till the Vasai creek and end in Virar. Nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles are expected to use the sea link daily. For cars, toll charges could be Rs 800 and for buses Rs 1, 500 for one side. The sea link till Virar will be 52 km in length with eight lanes.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 22,000 crore and the deadline is 2026. Work has already commenced on the coastal road for Phase-I from Nariman Point to Worli, which is expected to be completed in December 2022.
Once the coastal road is open to the public, the two sea links, Bandra-Worli and Bandra-Versova, will give motorists direct connectivity to South Bombay. The extension will help with direct connectivity between Virar and Nariman Point.
At present, it takes more than three hours for vehicles to ply between Virar and Nariman Point. Once the sea link becomes operational, it will only half that time to cover the 65 km trip. The report has suggested four interchange points at Borivali, Dahisar, Bhayander and Vasai.