India's first “sea bridge” was officially opened in Mumbai on Tuesday, raising hopes that the state-of-the-art structure will ease chronic congestion on the city's notoriously choked roads. The sweeping, 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) Bandra-Worli Sea Link was inaugurated by the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on a visit to India's financial capital. It has been named after her late husband, the slain former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was noted for promoting technology during his time in power. It is hoped that the 16.5-billion-rupee (340-million-dollar) eight-lane freeway will help cut the 40-minute journey between the suburbs of Bandra and Worli to just eight minutes. Gandhi said at the launch: “It is a proud moment not just for Mumbai but also the whole country. This will be a jewel in Mumbai's development. The freeway, which crosses a fishing bay off the coast of the Arabian Sea, was first commissioned in 2000 but work was held up until 2004 because of litigation and protests from the local fishing community. But as private car ownership increases on the back of India's economic boom and more people move to cities, 250 more vehicles are expected to drive the route every day, it added.Cars using the bridge will pay a one-way toll fee of 50 rupees (one dollar) and 75 rupees two-way. Heavier vehicles such as buses and trucks will pay 100 rupees for a one-way trip. Car owners could alternatively pay 2,500 rupees (52 dollars) each month. For nearly two decades, Mumbai's suburban rail network has been under pressure from a population of 18 million that is growing by the year. Further phases of the bridge are planned, eventually stretching to the commercial business district in the city's southern tip.
