Change in design or layout of Coastal Road not feasible now: BMC to HC

Nearly 78% of work on Mumbai's Coastal Road project is complete, making any changes in design or layout impractical, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in response to a public interest litigation. The coastal road is expected to cut travel time by 70% and fuel consumption by 34%.

Strap: In response to PIL, civic body states that any change at this stage would have huge cost and time implications

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htmumbai@hindustantimes.com

MUMBAI: Nearly 78% of work on Coastal Road project is complete and any change in the design or layout of any part of the project was neither feasible nor practical, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court.

The statement came in response to a public interest litigation filed by a Khar-based architect, Alan Abraham, seeking directions to the authorities to consider realigning the design of the coastal road and moving the recreation and open areas towards the seaside on the entire stretch of the coastal road.

The division bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Arif Doctor had expressed doubts as to whether the court can consider issues related to design and layout of the Coastal Road project.

Senior counsel Aspi Chinoy and advocate Joel Carlos, who appeared for the BMC, told the court that the majority of work on the project was complete.

The civic body on Wednesday filed an affidavit in reply to the PIL, stating that any change at this stage would have huge cost and time implications.

“The design and construction of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project has been based on detailed studies carried out by expert bodies,” the affidavit said, adding that the design and layout of the Coastal Road was a highly complex and technical issue.

The affidavit added that as of August 14, 2023, the civic body had spent an amount of ₹5,783 crore of the total estimated cost of ₹9,383 crore required for construction work of the project.

The civic body further claimed that the change suggested by PIL petitioner in the alignment of the road would introduce a number of curves which would then affect the ability to achieve the design speed of 80-100 kmph for this facility.

The Coastal Road is part of the proposed Eastern Freeway that connects Marine Lines with suburban Kandivali and is expected to cut short travel time by 70% and save 34% fuel.

The 9.98km stretch starts at Princess Street flyover on Marine Drive, passes through a tunnel beneath Malabar Hill and Napeansea Road.

The tunnel opens at seashore near Priyadarshani Park from where the Coastal Road goes on reclaimed land and meets the Worli end of the Bandra Worli Sea Link. It is further connected to Bandra Versova Sea Link and taken further to Kandivali.

In his PIL, Abraham has said that the changes suggested by him in the design of the road would not only provide open areas to the public at large but also save the coastal road from the vagaries of tidal and cyclonic activities that have increased due to climate change.

Abraham, who has won awards for the Bombay Greenway Project both at the national and international level, has stated that the current design of the coastal road from Priyadarshani Park to Worli Sea Face in south Mumbai had left a lot of space which will be wasted due to its inaccessibility to the public.

The petition also stated that the change in the design wherein the road would be shifted towards the landward side would not affect the project in anyway but would serve to increase the longevity of the road as the open space on the seaward side would serve as a buffer against tidal activity which has seen a major change due to climate change.