18 June,2024 08:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
The makeover on Marine Drive. Pic/BMC
The iconic Queen's Necklace on Marine Drive in south Mumbai's is now ready to welcome visitors and tourists. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday said that it has completed extensive restoration and development work as part of the Mumbai Coastal Road (South) Project, enhancing the infrastructure.
In an official statement, the civic body said, the project includes the restoration of a 1.07 km long walkway, which will provide seamless access for tourists.
The BMC said that a new 1 km long stretch, with a width of 10.56 meters, has been constructed for improved transportation. The road stretches between Princess Street Flyover and Mafatlal Club signal with a 400-meter interurban path.
Bhushan Gagrani, BMC Commissioner and Administrator has highlighted the significance of offering facilities to the visitors and instructed to keep the walkways clean and perform routine maintenance of the restrooms in the vicinity, the official statement said.
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The restoration project includes well-equipped visitor sitting arrangements that guarantee a relaxing visit, it said.
The BMC said, widening roadways have been implemented in the Marine Drive vicinity to handle the surge in visitor traffic.
It said that to stop more filling, the walkway beside the beach has been raised using beams and columns.
"Throughout the 590-meter run from south to north, tetrapods have been thoughtfully positioned to reduce wave impact and velocity, guaranteeing the pathway's longevity and safety," the BMC statement said.
The civic body said that the work on raising the pathways to provide adequate lighting is in progress.
It said that the new footpath, adjacent to the existing one, ensures that tourists have a high-quality walking experience without the need for additional filling.
BMC allocates Rs 275 crore for pothole repairs amidst rising costs
After awarding contracts to concrete over 1,000 km of roads in the past two years, the BMC has allocated around Rs 275 crore to fill potholes this year. Last year, the corporation filled over 70,000 potholes at a cost of Rs 400 crore. Annually, in addition to spending Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 crore on concreting roads, the BMC spends Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore on pothole repairs. In recent years, the cost of filling potholes has also increased.
