PM [1]
Rank : Helper
Status : Super Owner
#1
The north-bound bridge connecting Mumbai Coastal Road with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has been opened for the public from Monday, easing travel issues on the congested roads of the city. Three interchanges, which will provide connectivity for vehicles moving to areas like Worli, Prabhadevi, Lower Parel, and Lotus Junction, were also inaugurated.
The bridge will remain open for use from 7 am till 12 midnight and is expected to reduce travel time from Bandra to Marine Drive to around 10 to 15 minutes.
About Mumbai Coastal Road Project
Work on the Coastal Road, part of Mumbai's master plan from 1967, began in 2018. Though the project was slated to conclude by 2022, it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, among other reasons. It has so far cost Rs 14,000 crore.
The Mumbai Coastal Road's first phase stretches over 10.58 km, connecting from the Princess Street Flyover at Marine Drive to the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
It has a layout of 4+4 lanes, and the road has an array of modern infrastructure elements, including a bridge on stilts, an elevated road, and twin tunnels. The road has strategically placed interchanges at key locations such as Amarsons Garden, Haji Ali and Worli Seaface to make traffic flow smoother.
Among the key features of the project is India's first undersea tunnel, one bound of which has been in use since March 2024. The twin tunnels with a diameter of 12.19 metres -- only one side of which is currently open -- run 17 to 20 meters below the sea level. The 2.07 km tunnel begins near Girgaon (ahead of Marine Drive), extends north under the Arabian Sea, Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and end at Breach Candy's Priyadarshini Park.
The south-bound arm of Coastal Road opened from Worli to Marine Drive on March 11. The north-bound arm opened from Marine Drive till Haji Ali on June 10. Then, on July 11, the stretch from Haji Ali to Worli became operational.
The recently-inaugurated north-bound bridge is 827 metres long, with 699 metres over the sea and a 128-metre access road. The bridge includes a 143-metre long, 27-metre wide and 31-metre high 'Bow Arch String Girder' weighing approximately 2,400 metric tons.
Nearly 70 hectares of green space will be created, where cycle tracks, public parks, jogging tracks, and open auditoriums will be built. This project will provide new recreational areas to Mumbaikars. Further, the construction of a sea protection wall has also been proposed to prevent erosion and protect the project from high sea waves.
The second phase of the project spans 20 kilometres between Versova and Dahisar and it is under construction. The coastal road cuts down the 45-minute commute from Girgaon to Worli to just 10 minutes. Further, the project also significantly reduces the travel time from south Mumbai to the airport.
More than 50 lakh vehicles have used the coastal road route from March 12 to December 31, 2024, with the daily average being 18,000-20,000 vehicles.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the coastal road will save a lot of time and fuel for Mumbaikars and will play a significant role in getting rid of pollution.
With 94 per cent of the work completed, the coastal road will be fully open to Mumbaikars upon the completion of the Prabhadevi connector in February.