The coastal road project will connect the north and south hubs of Mumbai starting from Kandivali to Nariman point and will take two years to complete once the construction commences this December.
Mumbai’s infamous traffic snarls are something that every citizen has to deal with and is a place where you spend a major part of the day. With limited expansion opportunities given the topography of the area, the mega city has done well for itself with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) as well as the Western and Eastern Expressways improving connectivity dramatically. That said, congested streets is still a big problem that could soon be a thing of the past. The environment ministry has finally given its nod to the 35 km long ‘Coastal Road Project’ in Mumbai, which will connect the north and south corners of the financial capital.
One of the biggest construction projects to happen in the city, the Coastal Road project will extend from Nariman Point in South Mumbai to Kandivali in North Mumbai, attracting a total cost of Rs. 8500 crores. To give you perspective, the 5.6 km long magnum opus BWSL was worth Rs. 1650 crores when built around half a decade ago. The new Coast project is part of Maharashtra’s Rs. 60,000 crore worth transport infrastructure projects and the state government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Netherlands for its technical support to develop the coastal project along with the Mumbai Metro III.
The Coastal Project was in the pipeline for quite some time now, but was awaiting clearances from the environment ministry. Conserving the flora and fauna of the vicinity, the ministry approved the project on the grounds that the project will not cause any repercussions to coastal and marine life. There will be minimal reclamation of coastal land and no commercial activity will be permitted on the same. The ministry also stated that the project will stay clear of the high tide line. Having agreed to these conditions, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the new project will open up 91 hectares of green space. The government is in the process of finalising the project with construction to commence from December this year. The project will be completed in a span of two years.
