Coastal road to be completely operational from January 26

The southbound connector of the Mumbai coastal road will mark the final phase of the coastal road link, and will be thrown open to the public on January 26

MUMBAI: The southbound connector of the Mumbai coastal road, which is expected to provide seamless travel for commuters from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) to Marine Drive will mark the final phase of the coastal road link, and will be thrown open to the public on January 26. The inauguration is to be done by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A file photo of the coastal road

“When you’re coming from South Mumbai, you can go towards the north directly via the BWSL by the coastal road connector,” said a civic source. “But from the north side, you would have to land at Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Marg in Worli and then go to the coastal road. Now, since work on the southbound arm is complete, one can go from north to south directly, ie from the sea link to Marine Drive.”

The southbound carriageway of the connector, from Marine Drive to the Sea Link, was opened to traffic on September 13. The 10.58-km coastal road stretches from the Princess Street Flyover at Marine Drive to the Worli end of the BWSL.

There is still some work remaining on a few interchanges and the promenade which is slated to be completed in May this year. “The minor works are on an underpass at Omkar Circle in Worli which will connect commuters directly to the sea link,” said the civic source. “That underpass gives access to both the north and south arms of the coastal road. There is also work remaining to be done on interchanges in Worli (Arm7) and Haji Ali. Work on the promenade will be completed by May as per the extension given to the contractor.”

The BMC plans to open up the sea-facing promenade in May, which promises to be a boon for walkers and joggers who could use it via the underpasses that have been made. Promising to be almost double the length of the existing Marine Drive promenade, it will be a 7.5-km continuous promenade between Priyadarshini Park at Breach Candy and the Worli end of the sea link.

The ambitious project, with an investment of ₹13,983 crore, first started in October 2018. According to the BMC, the coastal road has reduced travel time by 70% and fuel consumption by 34%.