Sea link’s south-bound arm to stay shut today

MUMBAI: For the first time since it was opened to the public in June 2009, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link will be closed for 19 hours. Between 4.30 am and 11.30 pm today, motorists will not be able to ply the south-bound arm of the sea link. The north-bound lane from Worli to Bandra will be operational.

This will be the first of a number of closures scheduled in the next couple of months during which time Hindustan Construction Company-which built the sea link-will begin dismantling the crane that was brought in to construct the cable-stayed tower.

Engineers have already started dismantling the heavy launching truss, which was used to install girders above the pillars built in the sea. This part of the operation will not disturb traffic movement, they said.

A senior Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation ( MSRDC) official said: "On Sunday we will dismantle the platform of the tower's lift; this is a time-consuming and a major operation. We will then slowly dismantle the lift and parts of the tower in the coming months."

The tower of the bridge, its lift and the hanging capsule helped hundreds of labourers and engineers fit each cable, which holds the hanging bridge spanning over 500 meters. The crane moved the capsule all around the sea link, from where photographers had a bird's-eye-view of the coastline. With the dismantling of the crane, this facility will no longer exist.

The next major operation is slated for May 4 and May 6, between 1 am and 4 am, when one lane of the north-bound bridge will be closed.

The lane will also be closed for 5 hours starting 1 am between May 21 and 25. "After Sunday's operation, a majority of the remaining work will take place at night," said the engineer.

Between June 10 and June 12, three lanes of the north-bound bridge will be closed for seven hours starting midnight. And two lanes of the north-bound arm will be closed from June 13-14 for the same period of time.

Every day, more than 50,000 vehicles ply the sea link.

NO ENTRY ON BWSL

Today

The sea link’s southbound arm (from Bandra to Worli) will remain closed for 19 hours between 4.30 am and 11.30 pm

May 4 & 6

On both these days, one lane of the north-bound bridge will remain closed between 1 am and 4 am

May 21 & 25

One lane of the north-bound bridge will be closed for five hours from 1 am onwards

June 10 to June 12

Three lanes of the north-bound arm of the sea link will be closed for seven hours from midnight to 7 am

June 13 to June 14

Two lanes of the north-bound arm will be closed between midnight to7 am

Preparing for Maharashtra Day

On April 29

The following roads will remain closed from 6 am to noon as the government will be holding a rehearsal for the Maharashtra Day (May 1) parade. The roads will be closed on May 1: Lady Jamshedji Road to the junction of Keluskar Rd No entry to Veer Savarkar Marg S V S Marg from Siddhivinayak junction to Hinduja Hospital, Mahim junction to Siddhivinayak junction

On May 1 |

Parking will not permitted on Keluskar Rd, Shivaji Park, Lt Dilip Gupte Marg, Eastern side of Veer Savarkar Marg, N C Kelkar Rd, Dr B A Rd

The parade will start from Shivaji Park and will also cover Dadar T T, Ruia College junction, Five Gardens, Matunga, etc Motorists are advised to avoid these routes from 9 am-noon

BKC CLOSED FOR CYCLOTHON TODAY

The traffic department has prohibited the entry of vehicles on BKC road on April 24. Movement of vehicular traffic around BKC road from MMRDA Junction to MTNL Junction, Bandra (E), will be restricted because of the cyclothon.