Sea Link to host bus services

BEST now operates 12 routes between Bandra and Worli that passes through the congested Mahim Causeway. While BEST officials have not yet decided how many routes it will operate through the BWSL,they have done the math: the detour across the sea link is expected to save nearly 30-40 minutes for commuters who were earlier stuck in traffic jams along the Mahim bottleneck. “Definitely,we’ll run buses through the sea link. So far,we’ve not finalised the number of routes. We are working on it,” said Uttam Khobragade,general manager,BEST undertaking.

The authorities have rejected the idea of a dedicated bus lane on the 5.6-km sea link. This was also supported by transport experts who believe a dedicated lane will create traffic jams on the bridge. “There should be no dedicated lanes on the sea link. It will create jams. Instead,separate lanes should be provided during peak hours from Lucky Junction to Bandra Reclamation flyover and at Haji Ali to improve the bottleneck throughput,” said Ashok Datar,transport expert.

The bus ride won’t be as smooth as on the sea link once it hits the Worli end,where experts expect a bottleneck. “Due to the sharp turn and vague dispersal scheme,jams are likely. Vehicles moving at high speed will face a traffic jam,” Datar said.