Analysis of Bandra

Worli Sea Link Project

Project
Management
Section B Group 6
Ankita Roy (311) | K. Pavan (323)
Nikhil Gupta (329) | Pusyakant Tiwari
(338) | Siddharth Dohare (344)

Executive Summary
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a marvel of engineering technology. It has led to considerable
easing of traffic in Mumbai. It is the first bridge to be constructed in open sea conditions in
India. Coupled with the fact that the project involved setting up aesthetically designed pylons
having extremely complex geometry and one of the largest spans for concrete deck, the
challenges involved were indeed formidable.
As observed commonly with infrastructure projects in India, this project suffered from
considerable cost escalations and delays as well. The group has tried to critically analyze the
Bandra-Worli Sea Link project by pointing out the positives as well as negatives of the
project by undergoing a thorough understanding of the project details.
The actual and apt project definition has been discussed along with analysis of all
stakeholders, including some which were ignored by the company and later became great
troublemakers. Risk management for the project is discussed in detail to improve the
management of the project and contain the delays and escalations. Adaptive project
management using the NTCP diamond framework has been elaborated.
The positives that were observed in managing the project as well as the various sources for
the delays have been explained. Based on various secondary resources, the cost escalations
and delays have been tracked by developing a timeline.
Finally, the group has put forward certain recommendations which could have helped in
better management of this majestic project.

Table of Contents
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Particulars
Introduction
Project Benefits
Defining the Project
Stakeholder Map
NTCP Diamond Framework
Risk Management
Actual Project Details
Positives of the Project
Reasons for Cost Over Runs and Delays
Tracking Cost Over Runs and Delays
Recommendations
References

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Introduction
Bandra Worli sea link is an engineering marvel and an architecture wonder. It is also first of
its kind to be constructed in open sea conditions in India. In 1999 Mumbai, the commercial
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capital of India has traffic congestion problem. North-south region amounts to 125,000 cars a
day in each direction and is expected to grow at 250 cars per day. This north-south western
corridor became a bottleneck and was highly congested at peak hours. The Western freeway
project was proposed to ease the traffic in this western coastline of Mumbai.
Earlier, Mahim Causeway route was the only connection between the Island-city and the
Western and Central suburbs. The BandraWorli Sea-Link project, a bridge over Mahim bay
was proposed with a view to provide an additional corridor for the free flow of traffic as the
first phase of freeway system. It is also called as Rajiv Gandhi sea link project. The
Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC) and The Government of
Maharashtra commissioned this gigantic project to Hindustan Construction Company (HCC).

Project Benefits
The Bandra Worli Sea Link will provide the following benefits on completion:
1. The link is meant primarily provides an alternative to the Mahim Causeway route that is
presently the only connection between the Island-city and the Western and Central suburbs.
2. There will be considerable savings in travel time due to increased speed and reduced delays at
intersections at existing roads i.e. from 45 minutes to 8 minutes.
3. The sea link will feature an eight lane flyover having the capacity of carrying about 1.40 lakh
cars per day. As the Mumbai traffic is growing rapidly at the rate of 500 cars per day, this will
be a welcome move to reduce traffic congestion.
4. There will be savings in vehicle operating cost to the tune of Rs.100 crores per annum due to
reduction in congestion in existing roads and lower vehicle operating cost on the bridge
5. The project will result in ease of driving with reduced mental tension and overall
improvement in the quality of life for the commuters in Mumbai.

Defining the Project:

Scope:

 Project features include an eight-lane bridge

Length of the link is 5.6 km in which link bridge is 4 km
and Bandra side approach is 1.6 km (including toll plaza)
Bandra Cable Stay section 600 m in length and height of 126m
Modern toll plaza of 16 lanes with automated toll collection system
It should be an intelligent bridge with state - of - art systems for
traffic monitoring, surveillance, information, emergency support etc.
Development of promenade and landscaping

Cost:
In 1999, Original Project plan estimated the cost to be 350 crores

Time:
With the given budget, Project estimated to be completed in two years i.e. in 2001

Project Priority Matrix:

Time - Enhance:
Considering the various stakeholders involved and with growing traffic, time parameter can
be optimizing over others i.e. an enhancing parameter.

Performance - Constrain:
It is extremely important to meet security and quality standards in case of infrastructure projects. So,
the performance parameter is a fixed requirement which is a constrain in the project.

Cost - Accept:
Though over budget is not desirable but it known to be common in infrastructure projects. So the Cost
parameter is not a requirement and can be accepted.

Stakeholder Map
Following is the stakeholder map enlisting the various stakeholders involved in the project:

Government

Commuter
and General
Public

Media

Investors

Fisher folk

Bandra Worli
Sea Link
Regulatory
Agencies

Environmen
-talists

Construction
Company &
Consultant

Employees
Suppliers

Government: Contracted the project and provided funds to the company

Commuters: The are the end consumers of the project
Fisher folks: Their income and livelihood is impacted by the project
Environmentalists: They expressed concern about the impact of project on marine biology
Construction Company: The were responsible for executing the project and manage all
related tasks
Project Consultant: The were responsible for making the project design
Suppliers: The provided the materials and equipments required in the project
Employees: Responsible for carry out various activities as per the project schedule
Regulatory Agencies: They monitored the project and provided clearances and authority for
progress
Investors: The had invested as consortiums to finance the various phases of the project
Media: The reported the delays throughout the project lifecycle and voiced various concerns

NTCP Diamond Framework

Novelty: The project has been considered as a breakthrough project as it is the first of its kind
in India. It was first bridge to be constructed in open sea conditions in India. Bandra Worli
sea link has reduced the travel time from Bandra to Worli from 45 minutes to 8 minutes
which is radical change in itself. The length of the bridge is 5.6 km which makes it longest
bridge constructed in India.
Technology: The proposed features of the project include an eight-lane bridge. The BandraWorli Sea Link Bridge is an intelligent bridge i.e. a bridge where an electronic system will
transmit news of vehicle breakdown and accidents. Several teams of foreign engineers and
technicians were involved in specialized tasks. These feature makes it super high tech project
but due to similar kind of projects in other parts of the world (e.g. Golden Gate in Chicago),
the project has been rated a bit below super high tech technology.
Complexity: Bandra Worli sea link has been categorized as one of the most challenging
infrastructure projects in India. The complexity involved is evident from the fact that it
weighs nearly 50,000 African elephants and the length of steel wires used in the project is
equivalent to the circumference of the Earth. The project also involves an extremely complex
geometry and one of the longest spans for concrete Deck. Considering these features, project
has been categorised to have array level complexity.

Pace: Mumbai faces a severe problem of traffic congestion which is growing rapidly and
therefore demanded project pace to be fast. Apart from that, project has aesthetic feature
which make it important from tourism point of view. But due to PPP nature of the project, a
slight delay is acceptable and hence we categorise as a project which is between fast and
time-critical nature.

Risk Management
Risk management is proactive, and provides better capability to identify and handle risk, if
they occur.
The risks that can occur in the Bandra Worli Sea Link project can be broadly divided into the
following four categories:
1. Technical Risk

Quality risk

New technology risk

Part compatibility

2. External Risk

Weather problems

Customer Issue

Government regulation changes

Price fluctuations and inflation

3. Organizational Risk

Staff attrition

Priority project changes

Funding cuts

4. Project Management Risk

Inept time allocation

Inept resources & scheduling

Last minute design changes

Scope not met

The identified risks have been listed as below:

Risk ID

Probability

Impact

Mitigation strategy
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1 -Design change
2- Cost overrun
3- Time overrun
4- Navigational
5- Impact on fishermen
6- Environmental
7- Political

High
Medium
High
High
High
Medium
Medium

High
High
Medium
Medium
Low
Low
High

Careful planning/ Contractor selection

Careful planning/ monitoring- PM methods
Careful planning/ monitoring- PM methods
Providing sufficient height for ships to pass
Optimal location of cable- stayed bridge
Doing thorough environmental study,

Ishikawa/ Fish bone diagram to represent major causes of risk:

Ishikawa diagram (also called fishbone diagrams, herringbone diagrams, cause-and-effect
diagrams) shows the causes of the cost overruns and delays.
Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes have been grouped into
major categories to identify these sources of variation. The categories include:
People: Fishermen and NGOs protested and delayed clearances
Methods: The project design and methodology was changed several times
Equipments: The project required import of heavy equipments from various countries. This
escalated the costs and added to delay in procuring and obtaining clearances.
Politics: Change in government during the tenure of the project delayed the project further.
There were several financial disputes involving the government.
Management: Poor management decisions and ineffective procurement criteria led to
selection of a consultant with scarce resources available and eventually dropping of the
project consultant.
Environment: The project faced criticism as it added to air pollution in the city and harm to
the marine biology as well.

Equipment

Process

Management

Deksj

Delayed
clearance

Contractor
dropped in
between

Frequent
changes

Delayed
Project!

Fishermen
protests

Govern
ment
change

Politics
Risk Severity Matrix:
People

Harm to
ecology
Greater
emission
s
Environment

Risk matrix has been developed for risk evaluation. They are mainly used to determine the
size of a risk and whether or not the risk is sufficiently controlled.
There are two dimensions to a risk matrix. It looks at how severe and likely an unwanted
event is. These two dimensions create a matrix. The combination of probability and severity
will give any event a place on a risk matrix.
The categories of risk have been defined as below:
1. Severe risk
2. Medium risk
3. Mild risk
The various causes of the risk have been categorised as below risks:

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1

Probability

Risk severity matrix (Red- severe risk, Yellow- medium risk, Green- mild risk)

Actual Project Details

Originally, the entire project was conceived as one large project comprising of different
components. But to accelerate the overall construction schedule, the project has been divided
into five construction packages:9

Package I: Flyover construction over Love Grove junction at Worli

Package II: Cloverleaf interchange construction at Mahim intersection
Package III: Construction of solid approach road from the Mahim intersection up to the
start of the Toll Plaza on the Bandra side and a public promenade
Package IV: Construction of Cable-Stayed Bridges together with viaduct approaches
extending from Worli up to the Toll Plaza at Bandra end, Intelligent Bridge System (IBS).
Package V: Improvement to Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road
Finally on 30th June 2009, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union agriculture minister
Sharad Pawar inaugurated the first four of the eight lanes of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Later all eight lanes of the bridge were opened on 24 March 2010.

The project was supposed to cost 300 crore but as is usually the case with public
infrastructure projects in India, the bridge was delayed by ten years, by which time the
amount had zoomed to 1,634 crore amounting to a 400% increase in cost.
The performance delivered by the project has been good so far and it is dubbed as an
engineering marvel. However, in the recent past, some power failures and negligence in
security have been reported.

Positives of the Project

The construction is a miracle on the Arabian Sea that has an imposing presence on the
Western horizon of Mumbai. One can imagine the strength and might of the bridge given the
fact that it weighs nearly 50,000 African elephants and the length of steel wires used in the
project is equivalent to the circumference of the Earth.
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1. Accuracy and perfection in massive and challenging technical design:

The Launching Trusses, each 112 meters long, were custom built to precision. Monitoring of
structure behaviour was done during all erection stages and comparison was done regularly
with the theoretical computer model to achieve desired geometry and accuracy.
2. Overcoming Engineering Challenges:
The main challenges for this operation were the shallow water depth and the rough sea
conditions. HCC overcame these tough conditions to carry out the construction of the bridge.
3. Flexibility:
Being a project having high novelty and complexity, the project design was modified a
number of times to mitigate the apprehensions of the fishermen and environmentalists. The
project design team was adept at making the required changes.
4. Environment Friendliness:
Importance was paid to ensure environment friendliness too. Fly ash, a waste product
extracted from thermal power plants, was mixed with concrete, to make the construction
durable as well as eco-friendly. Energy saving luminaries were installed for lighting the
bridge.
5. Efficient Procurement:
A total of 130 equipments were used during the construction of the bridge at a cost of 190
crores. 25 equipments had to be imported from various countries at a cost of 78 crores. All
these procurement were done on time by contracting the best suppliers to ensure international
quality standards were met and these was no question on safety and durability of the bridge.
6. Ensuring Security:
High-tech security systems and gadgets were installed in collaboration with Mumbai Police
to track the men and materials during project execution and avoid vandals.
7. Human Resource Management:
A total of 2850 workers and 150 engineers were employed to work on the project over a span
of 10 years and managed very well despite different languages, cultures and methods of
work.

Reasons for Cost Overruns and Delays

The following reasons were identified for the huge cost overrun of 400% and delay of 10
years in the completion of the project:
1. Unknowns:
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Heavy monsoons and rough sea conditions stalled the construction work during monsoons
and the project was witness to unexpectedly heavy monsoons during the construction phase
as well which was beyond control.
2. Scope change:
The bridge and roadway design had to be changed after commencement of construction due
to protests from various stakeholders and paucity of funds.
3. Social factors:
Livelihood and environmental impact worries brought various fishermen groups,
environmentalists and NGOs on the road to protest against the construction of the bridge.
Several public interest litigations filed which delayed the environmental clearance procedure.
4. Economic factors:
As the schedule kept on getting delayed, the land prices increased rapidly too. The fishermen
of Worli demanded greater rehabilitation for the Government restricted them to enter the sea
for fishing during the construction. The value of land needed to house the huge equipments
increased too adding to the rents. Interest rates increased adding to the costs.
5. Poor procurement decision:
The project witnessed the dismissal of a major contractor i.e. the project consultant Sverdrup.
Additional time and monetary resources had to be spent to acquire the new consultant and get
them on board to proceed with the project.
6. Legal factors:
The hierarchical legal system in the country slowed the process of custom clearances. Customs held
up the import of the 5,400 tonne floating crane, Asian Hercules, which was required during
construction and hired by HCC from Asian Lift, Singapore. The payment disputes between HCC and
Maharashtra Government were settled in nearly one year during which no construction was done.

Tracking the Cost Overruns and Delays

Inputs from various secondary resources were used to develop a timeline and track how the
cost escalations and delays happened as various events unfolded.

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Recommendations
Based on the analysis carried out, the following recommendations were made by the group:
1. Detailed assessment of impact on fisher folk and environment
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There are around 500 fishermen in Mahim and 2000 fishermen in Bandra. As fishing
is a major occupation in Maharashtra, detailed analysis of the impact on fishermen
should have been carried out from the beginning.

Protests about closeness to shore and damage to marine life forced design changes
twice. Close analysis of the fishermens fishing pattern should have been done.

Opposition by fishermen in 2008 regarding pillars and restricted entry to sea led to the
height of the bridge and distance between pillars to be increased in 2008 just six
months before the inauguration. This could have been avoided by a proactive
approach by the design team of the project.

Thorough assessment of fishing community and rehabilitation programme could have

saved several design changes and delays.

2. Due diligence while contracting

The projects prime consultant, Sverdrup, was dropped two years after the
construction of the project began.

Proper vendor evaluation should be carried out by investigating vendors from all
aspects such as capabilities, skills, readiness, references, technical capabilities, market
size and business continuity.

Additional time and cost spent in contracting Dar consultants and redesigning project
could be saved by proper evaluation method.

3. Effective forecast of project duration

The initial forecast of project duration was just two years.

Maritime rules ban work during the monsoon: Rough sea conditions at the projects
offshore location means that all construction work has to stop from June until
September during the annual monsoon season

Time should have been forecasted accurately by taking the annual monsoon season
into consideration.

References

An Enquiry Into The Bandra Worli Sea Link Project, The Indian Peoples Tribunal on
Environment and Human Rights, July 2001

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Bandra-Worli Sea Link: An Engineering Marvel, Mrityunjay Bose, Science Reporter,

March 2010

The Bridge to Mumbais Future: Bandra Worli Sea Link, TMF

The making of Bandra Worli Sea Link, HCC

www.bandraworlisealink.com/

http://www.nmtv.tv/news/worli-koliwada-fishermen-oppose-bandra-worli-sea-linkproject

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