BMC budget: Civic body doubles allocation for Coastal Road north to Rs 4,700 cr

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has more than doubled its allocation for the Mumbai Coastal Road North project proposing Rs 4700 crore in the BMC Budget 2026 estimates compared with Rs 2100 crore in the revised estimate for 202526The Mumbai civic body said that it was focusing on expanding road infrastructure and improving eastwest connectivity across MumbaiThe Mumbai Coastal Road North project will run from the Versova Interchange to the Dahisar Interchange It will also include an elevated connector linking Mindspace in Malad to the starting point of the GoregaonMulund Link Road GMLR in Goregaon EastThe corridor is designed to connect South Mumbai and the western suburbs with Mulund and Thane The entire project is expected to be completed by July 2029All key permissions have been secured from authorities including the Maharashtra Maritime Board Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change the budget document said adding thatapproval has also been granted by the Bombay High Court Utility diversion works were currently underwayKey features Capacity of around 78000 passenger car units PCUs daily between Versova and Malad and 62000 PCUs between Malad and Dahisar 142metre diameter tunnels the largest in India Multilevel interchanges to ease congestion Open gantries and viewing galleries Expected reduction in travel time between Versova and Dahisar by 30 to 40 minutes Estimated 48 per cent reduction in carbon emissionsAn elevated stretch from Dahisar West to Bhayandar West known as the Coastal Road last leg is also planned It is expected to benefit around 75000 vehicles daily and is scheduled for completion by January 2029GoregaonMulund Link Road ProgressThe GMLR project is being implemented in four phases Phase 3 includes twin underground tunnels passing through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey Colony built using advanced technology to limit environmental impact and reduce land acquisition costsSo far 48 per cent of the GoregaonMulund flyover work and 18 per cent of the tunnel construction have been completed The full project is expected to be ready by 2028Once completed travel time between Goregaon and Mulund is expected to fall from 90 minutes to 20 minutes cutting fuel costs and lowering emissionsThe BMC has proposed Rs 2650 crore for the GMLR in 202627 up from Rs 1100 crore in the revised 202526 estimateRs 9650 crore for bridge departmentThe Bridge Department has been allocated Rs 9650 crore in the 202627 Budget estimates compared with Rs 551509 crore in the revised estimate for 202526Mumbai has a road network of around 2118 km maintained by the BMC The civic body is currently concreting 700 km of roads in two phases So far 342 km have been completedAbout 75 per cent of Phase I and 50 per cent of Phase II works are complete Phase I is expected to finish by May 2026 and Phase II by December 2026Push for walkable footpathsUnder its Universal Footpath Policy the BMC plans to upgrade footpaths across the city eastern suburbs and western suburbs to make them more pedestrian and disability friendlyParking and traffic measuresTo reduce congestion 65 onstreet paid parking sites are now operational offering space for 8258 vehicles Work has also been awarded for 37 public parking facilities with a combined capacity of 29769 vehiclesAn underground parking facility is planned near the Shri Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple as part of area redevelopment worksThe BMC is also rolling out a Smart Parking Project on a publicprivate partnership basis Initially covering 530 new parking sites the system will allow motorists to book parking spaces through a mobile applicationA total of Rs 6875 crore has been proposed for the Roads and Traffic Department in 202627Coastal Road south fully openThe Mumbai Coastal Road project has been fully opened to traffic A 525 km promenade between Priyadarshani Park and Haji Ali and from Baroda Palace to Worli has been accessible to the public since 15 August 2025The coastal road has reduced travel time by 70 per cent between Princess Street Flyover and the BandraWorli Sea Link while cutting fuel costs by 30 per centA 53hectare green belt is also being developed along the reclaimed land aimed at creating a large public gardenlsquoMelody Roadrsquo introducedIn a first for India the BMC has introduced a 500metre lsquoMelody Roadrsquo stretch on the northbound carriageway of the Coastal Road between Amerson Garden and Mahalakshmi Temple Using Hungarian technology specially designed grooves in the road surface produce musical sounds when vehicles travel at a designated speedFor the Coastal Road South project Rs 950 crore has been proposed in the BMC Budget 2026 estimates