Mumbai: The long wait for the Mumbai coastal road project will soon be over when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) opens the first stretch of this ambitious project Monday for public use.
Starting 11 March, one arm of the coastal road for southbound traffic from Worli to Marine Drive will open for vehicular movement following a flag-off ceremony by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
The southbound arm would be open from Monday to Friday between 8 am and 8 pm, the BMC said in a press statement released Saturday. Officially called Swarajyarakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Mumbai Coastal road, the first stretch of the high-speed corridor is 10.58-km long. Its construction cost an estimated Rs 14,000 crore.
The project also constitutes a web of underground tunnels, arterial roads and interchanges.
According to civic body officials, last-minute touches along the first stretch of the coastal road, like inspection of road surfaces, lights, and signals, were carried out Saturday.
CM Eknath Shinde, inspecting the coastal road Thursday, also announced the construction of a world-class Central Park spread across 320 acres along the project.
Construction of the coastal road started on 13 October 2018 and had a November 2023 deadline, which was eventually pushed further.
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Coastal road highlights
The coastal road will have three interchanges, one each at Haji Ali, Worli, and Amarsons. While the Amarsons interchange will have four arms, the Haji Ali and Worli interchanges will have five and eight arms, respectively.
One of the major attractions of the coastal road is the twin underground tunnels. The tunnels, each two km long, have 11 internal entryways for emergency vehicles.
The coastal road will not only save time but also save fuel, according to the BMC. Officials said the project could save 70 percent of commute time and 34 percent of fuel.
“This is not just an infrastructural project but important as far as the environment is concerned,” the BMC emphasised in its press statement.
The coastal road also has 70 hectares of surrounding green space, accommodating cycling and jogging tracks, public gardens and open theatres. “This will provide a good open space for Mumbaikars’ entertainment, and the work is near completion,” a BMC official said.
The BMC plans to extend the coastal road further to connect Versova with Dahisar in the western suburbs. That will be an additional 20.75-km long stretch. Work on it will begin in the next phase. The deadline for that stretch is roughly six years, according to officials.
Further, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has begun the construction of a sea link connecting Versova with Bandra.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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