The under-construction Versova-Bandra sea bridge at Silver beach, Versova. (Express Photo by Anurag Ahire)

The Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) is set to miss its May 2028 deadline by at least six months, with completion now expected by December 2028. The project has achieved 35 per cent civil progress against the 40 per cent targeted by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

Work has been constrained by the four-month monsoon shutdown, rough seas and tidal cycles that leave contractors with a working window of around six hours a day, an MSRDC official said. Transporting construction material during low tide also poses challenges.

Construction resumed in October after the monsoon. Contractors are using 12 elevated barges to drill piles into the seabed and build the foundations. Around 3,000 piles and piers are required, with roughly half completed, officials said.…