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In a stride towards transforming Mumbai’s landscape and easing the city’s perpetual traffic snarls, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently revealed the impending partial opening of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project’s toll-free first phase by month-end. This announcement brings a glimmer of hope to Mumbai’s commuters amid the city’s perennial traffic woes.
During a cleanliness campaign launch at the twin-tunnel of the Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR) near Priyadarshini Park on Napean Sea Road, CM Shinde disclosed that the completion of the 2.07 kilometers long tunnel, stretching from Worli to Girgaon Chowpatty on Marine Drive, marks a pivotal milestone. Set to open its south-bound arm by January’s end, this phase heralds the project’s initial foray into enhancing Mumbai’s transit infrastructure.
A notable feature of this tunnel system is the incorporation of Saccardo nozzles—a cutting-edge ventilation system. These nozzles will introduce directed air-jets to optimize ventilation, revolutionizing air quality within the tunnels. Additionally, the infrastructure boasts emergency utility boxes every 300 meters and an advanced traffic management control center to ensure seamless operations and safety.
CM Shinde lauded the project’s innovation and emphasized the significant time and fuel savings it would bring, alongside reducing emissions—a pivotal step towards sustainability in urban transport.
The MCR, a pet project envisioned by former CM Uddhav Thackeray, stands as a beacon of modern infrastructure in Mumbai. Constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at a cost exceeding Rs 12,000 crore, it reclaims 111 hectares from the Arabian Sea, earmarking space for interchanges, a protective sea-wall, public areas, and various amenities.
The project’s comprehensive scope extends beyond connectivity, encompassing a 8.50 kilometers long and 20 meters wide sea-promenade, housing attractions like a biodiversity park, lush gardens, cycle tracks, open-air theaters, seating areas, and underground parking for over 1,800 vehicles.
Moreover, this ambitious endeavor acts as a linchpin for the proposed 44-kilometer Coastal Road extension from Versova to Virar (Palghar), further integrated into the Rs 1 lakh crore Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, currently in advanced stages of construction.
Preceding the Coastal Road’s phase unveiling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the ‘Atal Behari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu’—the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL)—shortening Mumbai-Raigad travel time to a mere 20 minutes, an enormous leap from the current two-hour journey.
The MTHL stands poised to catalyze futuristic connectivity, linking major infrastructural nodes like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Goa Highway, Virar-Raigad corridor, Mumbai Port Authority, Navi Mumbai International Airport, and emerging as a gateway to the coastal Konkan region.
As Mumbai gears up for these transformative projects, the city’s infrastructural makeover heralds a new era of connectivity and accessibility, promising a future of seamless transit and regional connectivity.
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