Mumbai Coastal Road project: Here's all you need to know

The Coastal Road project in Mumbai has been a subject of significant debate and discussion touted as a transformative infrastructure initiative aimed at easing congestion and enhancing connectivity along the citys western coastline As one of the largest urban infrastructure projects in India the Coastal Road has captured public attention sparking conversations about its potential benefits environmental impact and socioeconomic implicationsHeres all you need to know about Mumbai Coastal Road projectMumbai Coastal Road project OverviewThe Coastal Road project envisages the construction of an approximately 292kilometerlong freeway along Mumbais western coastline stretching from Marine Drive in South Mumbai to Kandivali in the northern suburbs The proposed road aims to provide a direct and uninterrupted corridor for vehicular traffic bypassing congested inland routes and offering scenic views of the Arabian SeaMumbai Coastal Road project Traffic decongestionThe Coastal Road promises to alleviate chronic traffic congestion plaguing Mumbais arterial roadways offering an alternative route for commuters traveling along the citys western coastline By diverting vehicular traffic away from congested inland roads the project seeks to reduce travel times ease bottlenecks and enhance overall traffic flow within the cityMumbai Coastal Road project Environmental concernsDespite its touted benefits the Coastal Road project has been met with criticism and opposition from environmental activists conservationists and concerned citizens Many have argued that the construction of the road poses a significant threat to Mumbais fragile coastal ecosystem including mangrove forests intertidal habitats and marine biodiversity The reclamation of coastal land dredging activities and disruption of natural hydrological processes could have farreaching ecological consequences exacerbating coastal erosion flooding and habitat lossMumbai Coastal Road project Who is executing the projectThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC is overseeing the projects execution with consulting expertise provided by AECOM as the general consultantMumbai Coastal Road project Two phasesThe Coastal Road officially named the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Motorway is an under construction 8lane 292km long grade separated expressway that would run along Mumbais western coastline connecting Marine Drive in the south to Kandivali in the north It is expected to reduce travel time between South Mumbai and the Western Suburbs from 2 hours to only 40 minutesPhase 1The ongoing first phase covers the 105kmlong south section linking Marine Drive with the BandraWorli Sea Link The project will have two underground tunnels at Malabar Hill and Girgaon Chowpatty The estimated cost of the phase 1 is approximately Rs 12700 crorePhase 2The second phase encompasses between Versova and Dahisar At the end of 2023 the BMC awarded four infrastructure firmsrsquo contracts for the second phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project The Mumbai Coastal Road Project designed to connect Versova in the western suburbs to Dahisar in the northernmost part of Mumbai has been divided into six packages A B C D E and FPackage A will cover 45 km between Versova and Bangur Nagar Goregaon package B will cover 166 between Bangur Nagar and Mindspace Malad Packages C and D include a north and southbound carriageway that will be created between Mindspace and Charkop Kandivali Each of these packages would be 366 KM each Package E will be 378 km and will connect Charkop with Gorai and Package F will be 369 km connecting Gorai with DahisarMumbai Coastal Road project What is the statusThe first phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road was supposed to be inaugurated by Prime Narendra Modi on February 19 but it has been postponedMumbai Coastal Road project Toll chargesEarlier in January Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said that the Mumbai coastal road connecting Marine Drive with BandraWorli Sea Link will be tollfree