Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has announced that Aarvee Associates and Nippon Koei are the only two firms that have bid for the consultancy service for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) contract for the Versova-Virar-Palghar Sea Link (VVSL) in Maharashtra, India.

The consultant contract for this access-controlled highway encompasses two main aspects:

1. A thorough examination, known as peer review, of the existing DPR for the 43 km VVSL project. This review will also include the 6-lane connecting roads that lead to the western suburbs, resulting in a total project length of 79.11 km.

2. The development of a new DPR to extend the VVSL to Palghar, covering an approximate distance of 21.8 km. This extension includes a 7.3 km connection to Palghar town.

The technical bids have been submitted and are currently undergoing evaluation, a process expected to take a few months. Following the completion of this assessment, the financial bids of the qualified bidders will be opened to determine the lowest bidder, potentially the chosen consultant. The estimated cost of the VVSL project is INR 634 billion (US$ 7.6 billion), and the extension to Palghar is anticipated to incur an additional cost ranging between INR 250 billion (US$ 3 billion) to INR 350 billion (US$ 4.2 billion).