A Bridge in India Draws Attention
Trivia Time: Name the Indian bridge that has the following characteristics:
(a) Its length is equivalent to the combined height of 63 Qutub Minars.
(b) The steel wires used are nearly as long as the earth’s circumference.
(c) It is as heavy as the total weight of 50,000 African elephants.
(d) Each of its 424 cables can support up to 900 tons.
Answer: Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Five years behind schedule because of disruptions, the bridge finally opened to traffic on July 1st this year. Built at a cost of 3.5 million dollars, it is India’s first cable-stayed road link over the sea. The goal is to ease congestion by providing a faster route from western to central Greater Mumbai. Four lanes are open now, but there will be eight once the project is completed. The sea link is three and a half miles long and has a16-lane toll plaza, where the one-way fee for cars is 50 rupees. At peak times, up to 8000 vehicles are expected to cross the bridge every hour.
Unsurprisingly, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has already become a tourist attraction.
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