Northbound stretch of coastal road from Haji Ali to Worli to open today

The BMC had opened a 6.3-km long northbound section of the coastal road from Marine Drive to Lotus Junction in Worli via Haji Ali on June 10

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) is set to open a 3.5-km long northbound stretch of the Mumbai Coastal Road (MCR) from Haji Ali to Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan Road in Worli for motorists on Thursday, which will primarily ease the traffic at Haji Ali junction.

Mumbai, India. Mar 12,2024: Worli to Marine Drive 9.5 kilometres of the 10.58-kilometre Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Road (Coastal Road) opened to traffic for the public on Tuesday morning. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde inaugurated the first phase of the coastal road between Worli and Marine Drive on March 11.Mar 12,2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Chief minister Eknath Shinde, along with BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani and additional municipal commissioner Amit Saini, inspected the site on Wednesday.

The BMC had opened a 6.3-km long northbound section of the coastal road from Marine Drive to Lotus Junction in Worli via Haji Ali on June 10. With the opening of the 3.5-km stretch, motorists can now reach the Bandra Worli Sea Link from Marine Drive via the coastal road.

Another arm of Haji Ali interchanger route from Lotus Junction to the sea link will also be opened for motorists on Thursday. The northbound route of the coastal road will be open for traffic from Monday to Friday from 7 am to 11 pm. The BMC had inaugurated the southbound stretch from Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli to Marine Drive on March 11.

“Due to heavy rains, the bitumenization and asphalting couldn’t be done on the 3.5 km of the coastal road,” said Saini. “We were expecting the dry spell in the monsoon to go ahead. This way, we wanted to properly tar it and finish with the technicalities, and it will now happen.”

The BMC will also review the deadlines for completing the entire coastal road from Princess Street flyover at Marine Drive to the Bandra Worli Sea Link, added Saini. Around 91% of the MCR project has been completed till now. The project is being inaugurated in a phased manner to avoid traffic congestion.

In April and May, the BMC had installed two girders to connect the coastal road with the sea link. However, the process of connecting the girders with the sea link was delayed due to the rains. “We also need to prepare the promenades, central median and landscape,” said Saini. “We had a holistic discussion on Tuesday. So, there will be an overall review of the coastal road, which includes not just the road part but also the promenade, central median and landscape,” he added.

The MCR project seeks to create large patches of open green space, a rarity in Mumbai. About 90 hectares will be reclaimed for the project, of which 70 hectares will be landscaped to provide cycle tracks, promenades, amphitheatres, children’s play areas and other recreational space.