 "Mumbai coastal road now open: How it will benefit the city")
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde officially inaugurated the south-bound section of the much-awaited Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP) on Monday, after the project’s two scheduled deadlines in February and March were missed.
The CM also flagged off a vintage car rally and women-only electric buses operated by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) on the newly constructed Coastal Road segment between Worli and Marine Drive, which he referred to as an “engineering marvel.”
The public could use the road starting at 8 am on Tuesday.
Thanks to the ambitious new route, it would now take less than 40 minutes to drive between Nariman Point and Kandivali.
It will also revolutionise the city’s real estate industry, in addition to transportation.
Let’s take a closer look at how it will benefit Mumbaikars.
About the Coastal Road Project
The project will build a 53-kilometre coastal road that will be connected to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) and extend to Dahisar. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is building the high-speed corridor at an estimated cost of Rs 12,721 crore, according to Moneycontrol.
The Coastal Road has been officially named the Dharmaveer Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road in honour of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as per Mint. His statue will also be erected in Worli, next to the coastal road.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe first segment of the route was inaugurated with a 10.5-kilometre stretch on 11 March, his death anniversary. This section runs from the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to the Princess Street flyover at Marine Drive.
The stretch incorporates road sections built on reclaimed land, bridges, twin tunnels, and three interchanges. The two-kilometres tunnels between Priyadarshini Park and Marine Drive will have three lanes each, while the remaining stretch of the road will have four lanes on each carriageway.
The newly-built route also offers access through various entry and exit points along its route, such as Bindu Madhav Thackeray Junction, Rajani Patel Junction, and Amarsons Garden.
The speed limit on the coastal road will be 80 kilometres per hour, while in the tunnel the limit would be 60 kilometres per hour and 40 kilometres per hour in the interchanges, said the Mumbai Traffic Police on X. Each carriageway will have four vehicular lanes for seamless traffic movement and there will be a total of 10 bus bays on the stretch.
“Through the coastal road, we have been able to create a green space of 175 acres. Combining this space with the land parcel from the Mahalaxmi Race Course, a Mumbai Central Park spanning over 300 acres will be created to benefit all Mumbaikars,” Shinde said.
Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said that in the long run, a ring road of arterial roads will be created that will connect suburban Mumbai with island city, and satellite districts, as per Hindustan Times.
Notably, the project was completed in over five years since it started in December 2018, as per The Indian Express.
Reduced traffic and pollution
The Chief Minister said on Monday that the coastal road is expected to help people save fuel and time, besides reducing air pollution.
He added that the tunnel will benefit commuters, especially during peak hours in the morning and the evening when there’s heavy traffic.
Pankaj Kapoor of Liases Foras believes phase two of the coastal road will “significantly impact and improve travel time for the masses living in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai, which accommodates the maximum population and experiences massive traffic congestion,” according to Hindustan Times.
Additional municipal commissioner, Ashwini Bhide, who led the project, said that the coastal road will also reduce carbon footprints by 34 per cent.
“This road will reduce air and noise pollution by a significant margin. BEST buses will also ply on this road, providing Mumbaikars a cheap mode of public transport,” Bhide said, according to The Indian Express.
Impact of real estate
Samantak Das, chief economist and head of Research and REIS India, JLL, said that the coastal project is a catalyst for Mumbai’s real estate market as it will bridge the residential gap between areas.
Livemint quoted him as saying, “The coastal road project in Mumbai is not only a game-changer for transportation but also a catalyst for the city’s real estate market. By reducing travel time between Nariman Point and Kandivali from over two hours to less than 40 minutes, this ambitious infrastructure endeavour is set to rejuvenate the city’s business hubs, drive residential demand in key submarkets, and potentially bridge the residential price gap between different areas.”
He told Hindustan Times that the project presents a unique opportunity for investors and landlords to revitalise older buildings through retrofitting, restoring their relevance, and attracting businesses once again.
“The commencement of Coastal Road phase-one will drive immense potential for the real estate micro-market in the western suburbs. This landmark infrastructural development will have an immediate effect on real estate demand and prices across the Bandra-Andheri belt and, to some extent, the distant Goregaon-Borivali belt as well. The housing demand will witness a rise in both new and redevelopment projects,” Dhaval Ajmera, Ajmera Realty, and Infra India Ltd told the newspaper.
Phase two of the project
In the next phase, the BMC will construct the coastal road connecting Versova and Dahisar in the western suburbs, which will be 20.75-kilometres at a cost of Rs 16,621 crore.
It is likely to be completed over the next three months by May 2024, according to Shinde.
“Further construction will continue to happen after that. The traffic will automatically smoothen after the completion of the tunnel.”
With inputs from agencies
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