Fadnavis was joined at the ceremony by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, and several senior officials and dignitaries. With the activation of the TBM, full-fledged tunnelling work on the corridor has officially commenced.

Estimated at Rs 8,056 crore and scheduled for completion in 54 months, the project includes the design and construction of a nearly 10-km roadway, of which approximately 7 km will be entirely underground. Once operational, the corridor is expected to substantially reduce travel time between the city’s eastern and southern regions by 15 to 20 minutes. 

Officials also highlighted the project’s potential to cut fuel consumption and ease both air and noise pollution across key traffic-heavy zones.

According to engineers, the tunnel is the first of its kind in India because of its depth and alignment through densely populated urban areas. 

It will run beneath major transport corridors, including the Central and Western Railway lines, as well as the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line). At its deepest point, the tunnel will reach nearly 50 metres below the surface, with an average depth ranging from 12 to 52 metres.

The project features twin tunnels, each equipped with two 3.2-metre traffic lanes and an additional 2.5-metre emergency lane.